I think we owe a debt of gratitude to all the line workers, roading engineers, fire and emergency staff and the guys and girls out in that cyclone and in the days after who got to work getting our district up and running and keeping it connected to the rest of the country so quickly.
The aftermath of the cyclone in Hawke’s Bay and East Coast have shown us that communities are going to need to be self-sufficient for a time after a catastrophic event.
Each time there is a natural disaster, we see the scenes on the 6pm news of the total devastation to those communities. Soon the stories of the local heroes will start to filter through. The people with the chainsaws getting the roads cleared, for example. These stories show the best of our communities.
Building resilience within your local community is the best chance you have of getting through in the immediate aftermath – by pooling resources and skill sets.
While this disaster is fresh in our minds, it pays to think to the next and prepare as I talked about a few weeks ago in my previous column.
Joining Neighbourhood Support is the easiest way to find out ideas for building resilience your community. Staying connected to your neighbours and seeing how you can help each other in a crisis will help you get through.
