Port benefits from local resources

Dunedin’s community groups form the backbone of our city’s resilience and readiness. In this series, we shine a light on the teams that ensure residents stay safe during emergencies. This week, The Star reporter Simon Henderson uncovers the people in Port Chalmers who mobilise to help others in trying times.

When it comes to emergency preparedness, Port Chalmers is in the enviable position of having a range of resources close at hand.

West Harbour Community Board chairwoman Ange McErlane said the centre of most community responses would be the Port Chalmers Town Hall.

It had several areas, such as the town hall, Chambers Lounge and the Rolfe Room, that could be used in an emergency.

The building had a long history of being "everything on the planet" for the local community, she said.

When opened in September 1889, it had 21 different rooms and housed local government and customs as well as serving as town hall, magistrates’ court, fire brigade station and police sergeant’s residence.

It even housed a small morgue at one point.

"So it has always been a centre of the community."

An upgrade of the building completed in 2004 included earthquake strengthening.

It also has full kitchen and bathroom facilities.

One of the main issues in the area is if the main road to town becomes impassable due to slips or flooding.

"It has happened before — there has been a huge slip in Ravensbourne, where the road disappeared and people could not get to town," she said.

Slips and downed trees have also closed Upper Junction Rd above Sawyers Bay in previous storm events.

While the town could be cut off from the city, it benefits from having access to resources such as the Harbour Health Port Chalmers, the local Four Square Port Chalmers supermarket and emergency services such as the Port Chalmers Police Station and Port Chalmers Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Port Otago is another valuable resource in times of emergency.

"I think probably we are very lucky to have Port Otago here."

Recently, with the help of local community and business fundraising as well as funds from Port Otago, the fire brigade was able to buy a first-response 4-wheel-drive ute.

That vehicle was useful for accessing smaller areas where a fire truck might struggle to gain access, Ms McErlane said.

While the town has great resources that will come into play during an emergency, it is also important for individual households to think about making their own contingency plans.

This could include planning to have items such as spare water for three days and creating a list of contacts for times of crisis.

The West Harbour Community Board has created an information sheet with useful details for organisations such as Neighbourhood Support, MetService and Emergency Management Otago.

It also provides space for households to list specific contacts for organisations such as electricity or gas suppliers, as well as insurance company details.

The card also has space to record neighbours’ details.

Copies of the cards are available at the Port Chalmers Library.

"You need to know in your plan how you are going to make sure that everybody is safe and how you are going to contact them," Ms McErlane said.

Anticipating what households might need to do in an emergency was a good idea, including how to care for family pets, she said.

"The thing is that people often don’t really think that it is going to happen in their lifetime, but we don’t know."