Nature has a habit of disrupting life on a regular basis on the Coast and the region has already proved readier than others to cope should the worst happen, she says.
“We now have Starlink Units from Karamea to Haast, bulk diesel storage, and emergency caches of gear up and down the coast.”
Over the past two years, the National Emergency Management Agency has funded nearly $300,000 worth of equipment to keep the Coast functioning after an earthquake or other disaster.
Twenty-one fuel stations from Westport to Hari Hari are now set up to pump diesel with 8000w generators if the power is out.
The Coast now has three large mobile Terracat generators on trailers, and four fuel storage cells: transportable tanks holding 1000 litres of diesel.
“The caches could be used to set up alternative civil defence centres if our buildings can’t be used – which is likely in a big quake. “
Four years ago, those resources were just items on the West Coast Regional Council wish-list, Ms Brown says.
“We’re acutely aware of how crucial communications are for our isolated communities and we got into the Starlink system earlier than most.”
That meant the West Coast emergency management team was able to freight its working units north on loan last year when Cyclone Gabrielle blitzed every form of phone communication in Tai Rawhiti.
“There was nothing left, and when you buy a Starlink unit you have to set it up and get it going - but ours were already connected and running”.
“The Starlink units enable internet when nothing else works; you can power them from a car generator - so they’re invaluable in a natural disaster. Ours have all been returned or replaced now, and back in our communities. “
Radio communications up and down the coast have also had an upgrade with NEMA funding.
“We’ve boosted DOC’s VHF networks with a new radio repeater on Mt Bonar so Hokitika can now transmit direct down to Haast.”
The repeater would also improve VHF coverage around Franz Josef and Harihari to HariHari, where it had been patchy in the past, and allow direct communication with the popular tramping huts at Welcome Flat.
Claire Brown says with the holidays coming up, travellers might want to think about how they would cope if they were stranded in their cars by a weather event or earthquake.
“It’s always a good idea to carry some food and water and warm gear – just in case. And if you’re staying in a coastal area or near a lake, find out where you’d need to go if there’s a tsunami warning.“
That might sound over the top – but the Vanuatu earthquake was a reminder that natural disasters generally strike without warning, Ms Brown says.
Tsunami escape-route information and maps could be found on the West Coast Emergency Management website.
On a more festive note, a Starlink kit would make a good Christmas present, especially for West Coasters in remote areas, she says.
“You can buy the standard domestic kit now for a few hundred dollars and it could be a life-saver.”
By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
