MEDIA RELEASE

Monday, September 23, 2013

Get Ready to know your neighbours

Households within the Horizons Region are being asked whether they know their neighbours this Get Ready Week as Civil Defence and Emergency Management staff promote the need to be prepared.

Horizons Regional Council manager emergency management Ian Lowe says the annual awareness week, coordinated by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, provides the ideal opportunity for people to take stock of their preparedness and get ready to get through.

“The theme for this year’s Get Ready Week is ‘know your neighbours, know your community’. In a major event you could be on your own for three days or more so getting to know those around you is a really important message,” Mr Lowe says.

“You never know when you might need your neighbour or your neighbour might need you. It’s as easy as popping your head round the fence or having a cuppa. Just take the chance to say g’day.”

A recent Colmar Brunton poll showed households within the Horizons Region are heeding the Get Ready message. 31 per cent indicated they are prepared at home, 47 per cent said they had an emergency plan and 82 per cent have survival items.

Mr Lowe says this is a great start but the best time to get prepared is before disaster strikes and he’d like to see those figures rise.

“Life is increasingly busy for a lot of people and things like developing an emergency plan for the family or putting new batteries in the torch can get overlooked. However, a few moments spent getting ready now really could save your life and Get Ready Week is the perfect excuse to get those things done.

“Have a chat to your neighbours, take stock of your readiness and let’s get those numbers up,” he says. 

People seeking more information on how to prepare for a disaster are encouraged to visit the Get Thru website www.getthru.govt.nz or contact their local council.

ENDS

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