Disaster Awareness Week 11 - 17 October 2009

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Love thy neighbour - they could save your life

How well prepared are you if a disaster struck tomorrow? Do you know your neighbour's name if you need to ask for help?

October 11-17 is national Disaster Awareness Week which involves promoting the Get Ready Get Thru message to make people aware of the need to have survival kits and househould emergency plans prepared and the entire family is aware of it.

"In a major disaster you may have to cope on your own for three days or more your kit needs to have enough supplies to cover that period," says Waitakere City councillor and chair of the Auckland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group, Derek Battersby.

Civil Defence Waitakere also wants people to make more of an effort to get to know their neighbours.

"In a disaster, around 80 percent of rescues are carried out by a neighbour so the more you know about them the better," says Cr Battersby Morley.

One way people can do that is join the local Neighbourhood Support group.

Neighbourhood Support Waitakere is a community-based programme run in partnership with the NZ Police, NZ Fire Service, Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) and the Safe Waitakere unit of Waitakere City Council.

It's purpose is to make homes, streets, neighbourhoods and communities safer and a more caring place to live in. You can find our more about this organisation by going to its new website www.nswaitakere.org.nz.

Civil Defence Waitakere open day

Civil Defence kicks off the awareness week early with an open day at its headquarters at 7 Elcoat Avenue on Saturday, October 10, between 10am and 2pm.

Take a tour a tour of this award-winning building and see where all the action takes place during an emergency, including the operations room.

Volunteers will have a sausage sizzle.

You can also win great prizes, including survival kits, wind up dynamo torches and radios, by entering one of three different competitions such as a word find and colouring competition.

Competitions

Drawing competition - 9 yrs or under
Word-find - 10 - 15 yrs
Crossword - 16yrs or older

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Drawing Competition

Drawing application form (Size 106K)

Terms & Conditions

• All entrants must be 9 yrs of age or under.
• Entries must be received at Private Bag 93-109, Henderson by close of business Friday 30 October 2009.
• Winners will be drawn 6 November 2009.W
• Winners will be notified directly.
• No correspondence will be entered into.
• Judges decision is final.
• The competition is not open to Waitakere City Council Emergency Management staff or volunteers or their families.
• Drawing must be of a disaster scenario or hazard.

Word-find

Word-find application form (Size 113K)

• All entrants must be between 10 and 15yrs of age.
• Entries must be received at Private Bag 93-109, Henderson by close of business Friday 30 October 2009.
• Winners will be drawn 6 November 2009.
• Winners will be notified directly.
• No correspondence will be entered into.
• Judges decision is final.
• The competition is not open to Waitakere City Council Emergency Management staff or volunteers or their families.

Crossword

Crossword application form (Size 201K)

• All entrants must be 16yrs of age or older.
• Entries must be received at Private Bag 93-109, Henderson by close of business Friday 30 October 2009.
• Winners will be drawn 6 November 2009.
• Winners will be notified directly.
• No correspondence will be entered into.
• Judges decision is final.
• The competition is not open to Waitakere City Council Emergency Management staff or volunteers or their families.