Prepare for a disaster – get Good and Ready

Understanding the impacts of an emergency can help you get ready.

As a household, talk about and work out what you will do in the event of an emergency in these situations:

• Stuck at home, perhaps for several days without access to shops or services
• Can't get back home
• Have to evacuate
• No power
• No water
• No phone or internet

You can find guidance on each of these on the National Emergency Management Authority website's page: Talk about the impacts

Work out what supplies you could need

Consider what supplies you’ll need for the whole household for at least three days without access to services and shops.

You probably have many of these things already. You don’t have to have them all in one place, but you might need to find them in a hurry and/or in the dark.

Key supplies include: 

• Water for three days or more – make sure you have at least nine litres of water for every person. This will be enough for drinking and basic hygiene.
• Long-lasting food that doesn’t need cooking (unless you have a camping stove or gas barbecue) and food for babies and pets.
• Toilet paper and large plastic buckets for an emergency toilet.
• Work gloves and properly fitted P2 or N95 masks.
• Soap or hand sanitiser.

Work out what supplies you may need

Once you have had your household discussion, it's time to make a household plan to be Good and Ready for an emergency.

Think about the things you need every day and work out what you would do if you didn't have them. 

Make sure you consider all the needs of your household including: 

• people with disabilities
• babies, young children and the elderly
• pets and other animals

When you make a plan, make sure everyone in your household knows the plan.

Print it out and keep it in a place where it can be easily seen in your house and everyone knows where it is.

Save a copy and share your plan with your whānau. 

A template for an emergency plan in English, Māori, and over 20 other languages can be found here:

• View and/or download the English Make a Plan Form (getready.govt.nz)
• View and/or download the Te Reo Māori Make a Plan Form (getready.govt.nz)
• Templates for making a household plan in other languages

Grab bags are small bags with essential supplies ready for each member of your household, that you can grab at short notice if you need to leave quickly because of an emergency.

Each grab bag should have:

• walking shoes, warm clothes, raincoat and hat
• supplies for babies and infants
• water and snack food (remember your pets' needs too)
• any dietary considerations
• hand sanitiser
• portable phone charger
• cash
• copies of important documents and photo ID
• a First Aid kit
• any necessary medications
• torch
• radio and batteries

Plan ahead for what you will do if you are in your car when an emergency happens. A flood, snowstorm or major traffic accident could leave you stranded in your vehicle for some time. 

Keep essential emergency survival items in your car, such as a First Aid kit.

If you are driving in extreme winter conditions you could also consider:

• a brush 
• a shovel 
• tyre chains 
• windshield scrapers 
• warm clothing. 

Consider also carrying in your car a pair of walking shoes, a waterproof jacket, essential medicines, snack food, water, a phone charger lead, and a torch. 

Keep up to date with weather and road information when planning travel.

Find out about your workplace emergency plan.

A workplace plan can include the following:

• emergency procedures for fire, earthquake, flood, tsunami, and other hazards
• assembly points, wardens and first aid training
• continued access to important information to allow work to continue, even after a major event.

Here are some ways you can stay informed during an emergency:

• National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) website
• local civil defence websites
• radio
• social media (your local Civil Defence Emergency Management Facebook page)
• emergency mobile alert
• online news outlets Stuff; Radio NZ
• weather information
• road and travel information

Useful notification apps for your phone:

• The MetService NZ Weather app allows users to receive updates for extreme weather events, and extreme fire danger risks in partnership with Fire and Emergency
  MetService app

• The GNS Science app GeoNet provides earthquake alerts
  GeoNet: News app