We need to start teaching Kiwis about flood safety, the same way we do for fires and earthquakes
Opinion: This summer’s extreme flooding events were both unprecedented. However, climate researchers tell us that we can expect more frequent, and more intense, extreme weather events, as the climate changes because of human activity.
When disaster strikes, it’s important we learn from what happened and identify what we need to do differently. As happened with other disasters, such as the Canterbury earthquakes, the Christchurch mosque attacks, or the Pike River mine tragedy, talking about the emergency response and the immediate aftermath can lead to positive change. The Mike Bush review into the Auckland flood response has already made a number of recommendations.
Actions from local and national authorities in the lead up to, and during, a flood can obviously make a big difference to how flooding affects people and property. But the actions of individuals, workplaces and families are also important. As a nation we’re woefully undereducated on how to behave when flooding hits. That’s why we’re calling on the Government to implement flood safety education for Kiwis.
We’re not trying to lay blame, or say that any of the awful losses families have suffered were preventable. However, we do think that, as a society, we can do more so people know how to behave in flood conditions whether they’re at home or at work when flooding hits.
READ MORE:
* Flood lessons from Australia
* A concrete plan to make cities more resilient to flooding
It’s common for children to learn about fire and earthquake safety at school, as well as what to do in the case of a tsunami. Ideally, people know how to behave in an emergency before it happens. But, although there are some good flood safety resources available, we don’t think flood safety is anywhere as prominent as it needs to be.
We’re told to talk to our children about an escape plan if there’s a fire at home – but we’re not sure how many families have had the same conversation about what to do in the face of rapidly rising waters. The right thing for the kids to do in a fire, which is to leave the house ASAP, isn’t necessarily the right thing to do in a flood.
The Health and Safety at Work Act requires anyone conducting a business or undertaking to have suitable emergency response plans for their workplaces
Children now are probably going to have to handle flood conditions during their lifetime – perhaps multiple times – but may never be in a house fire or serious earthquake. To be clear, we’re not suggesting we should do less to prepare kids for how to behave in a fire or earthquake – just that we need to think about giving flood safety a similar level of prominence.
Does this mean schools should be conducting flood drills? One response would be that there’s no need for that, because fires and earthquakes demand immediate action whereas there’s usually more time to respond in a flood.
But the Auckland anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle have shown that’s not always the case, and that in extreme weather conditions things can change very quickly. The use of flood drills may come down to local conditions – whether the school is on a hill, or near a river, for example.
One piece of advice we’d like to see become common knowledge is to stay out of flood water where possible.
Flood water is an immediate threat because it’s powerful and unpredictable and can contain debris which might not be visible. It’s also likely to be contaminated with sewage, chemicals (perhaps it swept through the neighbour’s garden shed, washing all their pesticides along with it) and farm run-off. The acute danger flood water poses needs to be common knowledge, but isn’t.
However, we recognise it’s not always going to be possible to avoid flood water, and as was sadly evident during Cyclone Gabrielle, going through it may be necessary to get to safety.
The devastating summer floods should also be a reminder for workplaces to think about their flood response plans, learning the lessons from those affected. The Health and Safety at Work Act requires anyone conducting a business or undertaking to have suitable emergency response plans for their workplaces.
In addition to thinking about the direct flood response (eg stock management and sand bagging), workplaces may want to think about what happens when workers cannot get to or from their workplaces because of closed roads or transport cancellations.
Though some workers will be able to work from home, others won’t. Employers shouldn’t be asking people to try to come in to work when it is not safe to do so. More employment contracts now feature “climate clauses” or disaster and emergency provisions, with some employers providing special paid leave to their affected workers.
Building owners are required to have fire detection and suppression systems in buildings and first aid firefighting equipment such as fire extinguishers and hose reels. We may need a similar set of requirements for extreme weather and flooding
There are some specific rules workplaces need to be aware of in relation to electricity and gas and the storage of hazardous substances that may enter the water. Workers involved in clean-up activities also need to be kept safe, with appropriate PPE (eg gloves, masks or safety boots) and facilities (eg for showering and changing their clothes).
Workers involved in clean-up activities also need some training to understand the risks associated with handling flood-contaminated materials.
Finally, disasters take a toll on worker mental health and workplaces need to be thinking about these impacts too. It may be time for specific flood or extreme weather response training to become a normal part of New Zealand workplaces.
The floods should also be a wake-up call to the Government and agencies such as WorkSafeNZ to check we have the right combination of rules, guidelines, information, practical training and support available to businesses and workers, and perhaps to start treating flood risk like we treat fire risk.
Workplaces, especially those open to the public, have a range of specific fire safety obligations, including holding regular fire drills, appropriate signage and trained wardens able to assist an evacuation.
Building owners are required to have fire detection and suppression systems in buildings and first aid firefighting equipment such as fire extinguishers and hose reels. These requirements are so normal we barely notice them until they save lives. We may need a similar set of requirements for extreme weather and flooding, so all businesses and workers know how to respond.
Flood conditions are going to be increasingly common, perhaps more so than disasters that we currently spend a lot of time preparing people for. We need to do more so Kiwis know how to behave safely when, not if, flooding occurs. The Government is best placed to take on the responsibility for introducing flood safety education because it can do so at a systemic level, and can provide the resources to other entities, such as schools and businesses, that will need to be involved in delivery.
