A Simple World made Complicated!

Kia Ora,

Was out all day yesterday assisting Bernie impliment the results of our night patrols & recce's for the Student Army.

Didn't quite spend as much time on the shovel as I expected I would as ended up assisting in coordinating efforts(which often meant standing on a corner redirecting people to where they were needed, ensuring those doing the digging were putting the sand where it could be cleared quickly & easily by machinery(which had not been communicated prior so there was some confusion) with a bit of hearts & minds.

There was the hope of the students thrown in with the Federated farmers practicality things progressed well. There were also people like the 15 year old who seemed old beyond his years just jumping in & helping. Another person who I often work security with like myself with no calls for work so jumping in & assisting where he could.

Interesting stories came out such as the claim that like the previous quake a tour bus had arrived in the area with cameras flashing until the locals turned it around.

Then there was the alleged incident that has allegedly seen an Australian Police officer sent home for beating a looter. There has been no confirmation but the source was pretty reliable & the reaction to the allegated incident shows the feeling around.

Personally I think if its true the officer should of got a medal & that is a view shared by many.

Today was time, with still no vehicle, to catch up share some stories with friends & family about their experiences of that day & since.

From two of them came a reaction when I said Civil Defence were useless.

One said they presented themselves as ex military with first aid training on the first day & was told "we can save everybody we don't need help" but their name was taken & they have not heard since.

The other said a family member of their's is so angry at the poor response of Civil Defence. This family member had been in Sri Lanka during the Indonesian Tsaunami but they had also been in London during the 2005 train bombings & they were not impressed with Civil Defence in New Zealand.

It is obvious that the rescue teams are of the highest level, the police & the services are putting in great efforts but yet again it is Civil Defence that is the very weak link.

One solution I have thought of is leave the permanent officials in place for civil defence & at the next emergency use the miltary to provide the headquarters at all levels.

Why try to remake a system that already works with professionals running it?

Something else that came up was the reaction of people on the day. Now the people I was mainly talking too were action people who had armed themselves with knowledge in particular following the September earthquake but they noticed that many froze or went into automatic/denial.

They say on any given day in a situation like presented here in Christchurch on Tuesday 22nd of February 2011 33% will freeze, 33% will go into denial or automatic mode & the final 33% will get stuck in or take control.

But in line with both what I saw on the day & my blogs in the past about New Zealand not been ready thinking "it will never happen here" others also noted that up to 90% seemed to freeze or go into denial mode.

The Civil Defence system seems to reflect this & the attitude experessed to one person indicated it hadn't changed from the time I was with it. Whilst the very top were good, underneath there was not enough reality or practical application.

Another issue raised by a former army mate on Facebook was how the different suburbs seemed to handle it but in the end it appears more complicated than that. Some suburbs had immediate response as those in places of influence were immediately aware of it due to their own situations. Information regarding other suburbs was not so forth coming.

It often has taken media attention to get facilities to an area. Everyone knows their are major issues in the central city but the information above that basic level is less well known to differing levels in different communities.

People generally believe that those in the poorer neighbourhoods don't try to look after themselves but that is not true. But there are enough ready to jump on the system to make that believable.

In Woolston I found out about just a group who is doing that. Partying everynight telling everyone about getting a $900 payout due the earthquake & Housing Corporation giving them three weeks rent free.

Whilst in Aranui people were not aware of the ability to get a payout & those we spoke too weren't going to take it until they had too anyway.

Then there was the brick house that looked in good shape except for one little detail. Housing Corporation had told the 83 year old living in the house it was Ok to stay in but the locals had pulled him out & would not allow him to go back.

The small detail was the way the house sloped forward into the front yard. It had a large(obviusly quite large though not as large as the Hotel Grand Chancellor)sink hole it was sliding into. Way to go the bureaucrats!

As the recovery swings into action it causes other issues. The faecal matter in the dust if not cleared quickly could cause diseases to break out but what we learned prior to setting out yesterday morning that had someone not stepped on some toes the Aranui area would not of been seen for another four days. It is likely that by that time the health issues would of multiplied. Measles are already in some areas along with diarrhoea.

There needs to be better use of volunteers in the early stages of a disaster like getting information out. Not the "we will save everyone you are not needed" syndrome. The obvious major issue was the CBD on the first day, but after the initial response where people could of been used better & bugger the danger, immediately after they need to use those resources.

I say bugger the danger because we have become too risk adverse. Rushing into to save others is what some do. It is where some shine that struggle in the everyday world. Making a difference is what some people do & it shows the real meaning of service.

The only reason cash comes into it is to survive in the world we live in. It is the oil that allows us to deliver or not deliver the services.

In saying bugger the danger there is another side to that.

There is to be an investigation into why two more modern properties collapsed. It is a point I have raised before. Stuctural engineers said along with the Mayor that the building code is only there to save lives not the buildings. That means that no property should of had just a visual check but a proper check using all the resources available or they should of been replaced. Just like a bicycle helmet after it has been used.

Some honesty would be nice right now!

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