After an earthquake?

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#1514201 16-Mar-2016 09:27

Jaycar is the place to find Solar/emergency power etc . Here is a simple one, I have a non-smart emergency mobile that holds charge for a week.

Oblivian

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#1514222 16-Mar-2016 09:43

Unless I was on the wrong stations, the centralization to national radio networks was more a hindrance after the CHC EQs.

The first thing I did was grab a radio and tune in to most the likes of the FM and talkbacks - we were trained to do this at school and in adverts with the CDEM demonstration noises!!! All the FMs kept on charging on with their out of hours (it was 3am) pre-recorded playbacks.

All the talkback had was people calling in from regions around canterbury saying they felt the quake too.

There was no CDEM looping message, there was no calming or diversion of cause for alarm. Or what to do scenarios - Despite most our street being in complete darkness and flooding as the water seeped out of the ground. No notification of emergency bases being set up or who to reach out to. Yet all the neighbours come out in total darkness and went... what now.

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#1514225 16-Mar-2016 09:45

joker97:
gnfb:

Question for the "Clever Ones"

There is always talk about having a conventional radio am/fm battery powered on hand in case of "the big one"

So the FM radio that is on my cell phone will that work if cellular towers are down?

also will terrestrial tv still function?

I am assuming that there is a good possibility that the internet on landlines will be down.

Towers will be possibly down..

Oh what was the case in Christchurch? What comms were up and running? Maybe CB radio? LOL

Internet may be down, but landlines will be fine. Need a non cordless phone though.

Tell that to the _5_ core breakages between my place and he major exchange due to lateral movement...

keewee01

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#1514242 16-Mar-2016 10:03

When planning for this sort of thing, you should plan for the worst case senario, or somewhere near it!

Not "landlines might still work", or "my water supply will be OK".

If you are doing it properly then you plan for no clean water supply (and for longer than 3 days if you can as it was nearly a week before some people had tanker supplies available (from memory)); no food available; no building to shelter in; no electricity/internet/mobile services; no toilet; no initial access to medical or any other help... BE PREPARED :)

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#1514244 16-Mar-2016 10:11

keewee01:

When planning for this sort of thing, you should plan for the worst case senario, or somewhere near it!

Not "landlines might still work", or "my water supply will be OK".

If you are doing it properly then you plan for no clean water supply (and for longer than 3 days if you can as it was nearly a week before some people had tanker supplies available (from memory)); no food available; no building to shelter in; no electricity/internet/mobile services; no toilet; no initial access to medical or any other help... BE PREPARED :)

I'd like to think our combined experiences put the proverbial up people. I've been to offices out of town now that were all of a sudden supplied with water bottles under desks (although now forgotten and likely not consumable) and common EM kits or take-home packs appeared.

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#1514268 16-Mar-2016 10:43

Oblivian:

keewee01:

When planning for this sort of thing, you should plan for the worst case senario, or somewhere near it!

Not "landlines might still work", or "my water supply will be OK".

If you are doing it properly then you plan for no clean water supply (and for longer than 3 days if you can as it was nearly a week before some people had tanker supplies available (from memory)); no food available; no building to shelter in; no electricity/internet/mobile services; no toilet; no initial access to medical or any other help... BE PREPARED :)

I'd like to think our combined experiences put the proverbial up people. I've been to offices out of town now that were all of a sudden supplied with water bottles under desks (although now forgotten and likely not consumable) and common EM kits or take-home packs appeared.

I'm now in Wellington and even after the quakes up this way it is amazing how relaxed the general populace are about it all.... fools!!

A lot of people still do not fully understand what was gone through (and still is by some) in Canterbury.

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#1514310 16-Mar-2016 11:11

We are reasonably well provisioned. Cans of food, de-hydrated food. 40L of water, essential meds, modest first aid kit, sleeping bags, sun block, DEET spray. A little cooker and liquid fuel. Coffee! LED torches and batteries (more of same in boat). All in a wheely bin in the corner of the garage between the panel door and a window.

Don't have a radio. Should get one.

We do have a large SUV, one medium car, one small car and a boat with two large batteries. All up probably we have at least 250AH to run a 12v radio without starting a car. Provision for charging cell phones in two of the cars.

Also have three gas bottles for the BBQ. We fill them up ASAP after they are emptied so always have one or two full plus a part bottle in the BBQ.

Mike

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#1514315 16-Mar-2016 11:26

gnfb: Someone may have already done it but in a country like NZ where each day we live with the possibility of a natural disaster, It would make sense to me to have cheap emergrancey comms device for all households say. Havnt given it any thought as to how it would work or what it would or could do. The main thing that comes through in this thread is being able to communicate and get information.

Maybe it's my time spent in the Scouts, but I really think the main thing is to be prepared. I am 100% certain a major earthquake will hit Wellington one day. If it's big enough to bring down motorway flyovers then pretty much all routes north out of the city will be impenetrable to vehicle traffic so we could be cut off for a while. If it never happens in my lifetime that's great, but it could happen this afternoon. And if it does I want to be as ready for it as I can be.

Have a family plan, saying where to meet if you're separated, depending on where you are when disaster strikes (home, work, school, etc.).
Discuss who/when/how often/how you will try to make contact until you meet up (e.g. via SMS, parents try every 30 min.s on the quarter/three quarter hour, children try every 30 mins on the hour/half hour).
Have a home emergency kit with food, plenty of water, a first aid kit, medication, toilet paper, pet food, torch, radio, batteries...
Think about where you keep your kit and any other useful equipment (tent, sleeping bags, barbecue/gas bottles) - it's not much use if it's going to be buried under a ton of rubble when your house collapses.
Have a go-bag at work with a variety of clothing suitable for different conditions, snacks, water, a foil blanket, torch, radio, batteries...
Figure out how you're going to get home from work/school/etc. I've walked home from work a couple of times to work out the route and how long it will take me (minimum four hours), avoiding SH2 for obvious reasons.

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#1514318 16-Mar-2016 11:32

andrew027:

Have a family plan, saying where to meet if you're separated, depending on where you are when disaster strikes (home, work, school, etc.).

And make sure you stick to it, unlike some friends of ours! When the Feb earthquake hit the wife was at work in the CBD and the husband was at home. Their plan was to meet at home in case of emergency (they were in St Albans so not far from the CBD), but he still started walking to her work to try to find her. Luckily she managed to get a message through and he turned around and went home.

I can't remember where I got it but I have a radio that can both be hand cranked and recharge off solar, it also has USB out so you can charge your phone off it. Our house had no power for 4 days after the Feb quake (although we left town after 2) so it was pretty useful for finding out what was happening.

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#1514319 16-Mar-2016 11:33

Thread reminds me to update our emergency stores... I put aside a whole lot of stuff (tinned/dried food, radios, batteries etc) but it was years ago and I'm p sure some things have been raided over time. Probably most of it's still good but it's a good idea to check it on a schedule :P Also have a featurephone with about 2 weeks battery life which i pull out and top up occasionally. As for water, we are on tank, there's an above ground and an underground tank, and there's sufficient gravity feed to one of the outside taps from the above ground. We can probably siphon from underground tank from the lowest point on the property.

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#1514323 16-Mar-2016 11:41

A couple more thoughts

I came across this site https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit

yank one, but I would like to think we have something similar relevant to NZ.

A google search for "earthquake survival kit" brings up a whole load of online stores trying to sell ludicrously expensive all be convient kits.

I wonder how many of the items we already have around the house or a quick trip to the warehouse online wouldn't secure.

Of course if the warehouse or countdown were smart they would maintain a emergancey supplies order page, but thats just the marketer in me :)

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#1514347 16-Mar-2016 12:33

I have all the stuff mentioned to prepare for a big quake in Wellington.

But my biggest fear in wellington is all our wooden houses and the risk of fire after a big one.
All your emergency stuff can get wiped out - so we also have grab and go bags in a cabinet near front door.

I also have a manual post hole borer. Good to make a toilet hole good and deep for hygiene!

Lastly I'd want to avoid council appointed "Important" people wearing reflectorised jackets telling me what to do at a public assembly point.
So I'd aim to stick with my house even if it was partially collapsed after a big one noting with wooden bungalows there'd always be shelter as gabled roofs dont go flat and I could "dig" to get to survival items.

Oblivian

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#1514400 16-Mar-2016 13:13

gnfb:

A couple more thoughts

I came across this site https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit

yank one, but I would like to think we have something similar relevant to NZ.

A google search for "earthquake survival kit" brings up a whole load of online stores trying to sell ludicrously expensive all be convient kits.

I wonder how many of the items we already have around the house or a quick trip to the warehouse online wouldn't secure.

Of course if the warehouse or countdown were smart they would maintain a emergancey supplies order page, but thats just the marketer in me :)

Dropped off again, but this was on TV weekly following our shakeyshakeys. http://getthru.govt.nz/how-to-get-ready/emergency-survival-items/

MikeAqua

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#1515142 17-Mar-2016 18:04

If a truly serious earthquake hit Wellington fire is expected due to mains gas lines.

I would head for the harbour (or maybe the bucket fountain) ASAP.

D1023319:

But my biggest fear in wellington is all our wooden houses and the risk of fire after a big one.
All your emergency stuff can get wiped out - so we also have grab and go bags in a cabinet near front door.

I also have a manual post hole borer. Good to make a toilet hole good and deep for hygiene!

Mike

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#1515148 17-Mar-2016 18:24

MikeAqua:

If a truly serious earthquake hit Wellington fire is expected due to mains gas lines.

I would head for the harbour (or maybe the bucket fountain) ASAP.

D1023319:

But my biggest fear in wellington is all our wooden houses and the risk of fire after a big one.
All your emergency stuff can get wiped out - so we also have grab and go bags in a cabinet near front door.

I also have a manual post hole borer. Good to make a toilet hole good and deep for hygiene!

Yoga is the best preparation for the big one say circa 9 on the Richter scale. Yoga will enable one to be able to stick ones head between ones legs and kiss your butt goodbye.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

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