WHAT IS AN EARTHQUAKE?

The surface of our planet is not a complete shell, but is made up of large pieces, much
like a jig-saw puzzle, called tectonic plates. Tectonic plates are always on the move.
Tension builds up as they scrape over, under or past each other.
In some places movement between the plates is happening all the time, causing
frequent small or moderate earthquakes. Other areas, where the movement is not
constant, are prone to stronger quakes separated by longer periods of time.
B
before

•
Practise your earthquake drill: DROP, COVER and HOLD.
• Identify safe places close to you at home or school.
• A safe place is under a strong table (remember to hold onto the legs), or
next to an interior wall. Take no more than a few steps to avoid injury.
• Talk with your family about an emergency plan and survival items.
• Help your parents to secure heavy items of furniture to the floor or wall.
Find out more at www.eq-iq.org.nz.
D
during

• If you are inside a building, take no more than a few steps, DROP, COVER
AND HOLD.
• If you are outside, move no more than a few steps, DROP, COVER AND
HOLD.
• If you are in the car you should ask the driver to pull over and stop.
• If you are at the beach or near the coast, DROP, COVER and HOLD, then
move to higher ground immediately in case a tsunami follows the quake.
A
after

• Remember there may be some aftershocks.

• Listen to and follow all instructions from adults or the radio.
• If you are in a damaged building, try to get outside and find a safe, open
place.
• Help others who may need it, if you can do so safely.
• Watch out for possible dangers or hazards.
• Remember your prepared emergency plan and follow it, if it is safe to do.
 WHAT IS A TSUNAMI?
Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning 'harbour wave'. A tsunami is a series of fast
travelling waves caused by a large disturbance on the ocean floor, such as an
earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption or meteorite.
Tsunami waves appear either as rapidly-moving tides with very strong currents that can
wash people and objects out to sea, or as large breaking waves that can cause
significant impact damage at the shoreline.
B
before

• Know if your local area could be struck by a tsunami.

• Talk with your family and prepare an emergency plan.
• Identify safe places close to your home and school – as far inland and as
high up as possible.
D
during

• Stay calm.
• Leave the area immediately if you are at the beach or near a river when a
strong earthquake occurs. Move quickly but safely.
• Go as far inland and as high up as you can.
• Don’t go to a river or beach to watch the waves come in if a warning has
been issued.
A
after

• Listen to, and follow, instructions from adults or the radio.

• Do not go down to the sea or river until you have been told it is safe to do
so.
• Help others who may need it, if you can do so safely.
 WHAT IS A FLOOD?
Floods can occur as a result of storms and heavy rain which cause rivers to overflow
their banks. Fast-flowing, deep water filled with debris can sweep away people, animals
and even cars. Coastal areas can occasionally be subject to floods from the sea caused
by unusually high tides or tsunami. After a flood there can be a lot of damage and
pollution to clean up. It may take months or years to recover.
B
before

• Find out about the worst flood in your area and how high the flood waters
reached. Would it reach your home?
• Know how to reach the nearest high ground.
• Move animals to safety.
• Keep valuables and some food and water above the high water mark. Attics
or upstairs rooms are good places for storage, as long as there is easy
access.
• Remind your family to store chemicals in a high, safe place. If a flood
occurs and these chemicals leak, they could be dangerous.
D
during

•
Listen to your local radio station for information and instructions on what
to do.
• Help move household items as high above the floor as possible.
• You may have to move out of the flooded area or go to the nearest high
ground.
• Don’t go into flood waters alone and don’t go sightseeing.
• Take your essential emergency survival items with you if you have to leave
your home.
• Remind adults to turn off water, electricity and gas.
A
after

• Only return home once you are told it is safe.

• Do not go sightseeing through flooded areas.
• Do not drink floodwater. It could be contaminated.
WHAT IS A VOLCANO?
 Volcanoes erupt when pressure builds up inside the earth and forces molten rock
(magma) towards the surface. Volcanoes usually have short active periods, separated
by longer dormant periods. Even extinct volcanoes are capable of coming to life again.
Those living in volcanic regions are at risk from ash, debris and lava flows. If there is a
crater lake, water can mix with volcanic debris to form swiftly-moving avalanches of mud
called 'lahars', which can kill and injure people and cause damage to property.
B
before

• Know where active volcanoes are and whether they are likely to affect you.
• Talk with your family about an emergency plan and what you will need at
home.
• Talk to your family about an evacuation plan – where to go and how to get
there.
D
during

• Listen to the radio for instructions.

•
Stay indoors – keep windows and doors shut. Bring your pets indoors if
you can.
• Save water in your bath and other containers at an early stage, as the water
supply may become polluted.
• If outdoors, find shelter.
• If told to leave, cover your face and mouth, wear a dust mask and goggles
if you can, and take your essential emergency survival items.
• Do not go sightseeing.
• Take your outer layer of clothing off before entering a building – volcanic
ash is difficult to get rid of.
A
after

• If in a safe place, stay put.

•Listen to the radio for information.
• Return home only when told.
WHAT IS A STORM?
A storm is a disturbance of the atmosphere that can cause strong winds, rain, thunder,
lightning, heavy snow and rough seas. A strong wind warning is issued by the
MetService when winds of more than 87kph are expected over land. Coastal areas can
suffer from storm surges, which are extra-high tides caused by the high winds pushing
the sea forward.
B
before

When a strong wind warning is issued:

• Listen to your radio for information.
• Bring pets inside if possible.
• Help clear away anything outside that may become a flying missile in the
wind.

When a snow warning is issued:

•
Listen to your local radio station for information.
•
Avoid leaving home unless absolutely necessary.
• If you have to travel, help make sure you are well prepared with snow
chains, sleeping bags, warm clothing and essential emergency items.
• Remind your family to check fuel supplies for wood-burners, gas heaters,
barbeques and generators.
• Bring pets inside if you can and help move stock to shelter.
D
during

•
Stay inside. If outside find shelter quickly.
•
Close all curtains to slow down flying glass.
• Stay away from doors and windows. If the wind becomes destructive,
shelter further inside the house.
• Stay away from metal and electrical fixtures.
A
after

• Stay indoors and listen to the radio.

• Avoid dangling and broken power lines, if outside.
WHAT IS A NON-NATURAL HAZARD?
Non-natural hazards are caused by human activity and include wildfires (also known as
bushfires), pandemics (Avian or swine flu), biohazards (chemical spills), transportation
accidents (trains, planes) and terrorism (bombs, threats). In these situations, always tell
an adult or appropriate authority, and follow instructions carefully.
Pandemic
 A pandemic is a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease throughout a region or
even the world, for example Avian or swine flu, or SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome). Besides the large numbers of deaths caused by pandemics, they also result
in huge disruptions to society. Medical services are overwhelmed, schools and
businesses closed down, transportation and trade reduced, and borders closed.
For more information, see the Ministry of Health
website:www.moh.govt.nz/influenza.
B
before

• Talk to your family and friends about health hygiene – hand washing, and
safe coughing and sneezing.
• Make sure you have your emergency survival items.
• Include paracetamol (for fever) in your home emergency survival items.
• Have a plan for what you and your family would do if you had to stay at
home, possibly for weeks, during a pandemic.
D
during

• Stay home if you are sick, keep away from other people and avoid visitors.
• Wash and dry your hands before handling food and after coughing,
sneezing, using the bathroom, wiping children’s noses or when looking
after sick people.
• Use tissues to cover coughs and sneezes. Throw used tissues in the
rubbish bin.
• Give fluids to people who have a fever and/or diarrhoea. Paracetamol can
be used to bring down high fevers.
A
after

• Listen to the radio for instructions.

• Talk to your family about how you can stay prepared – pandemics often
come in waves.
Wildfires
A wildfire is an unplanned fire that starts outdoors, such as on a gorse-covered hillside
or in a forest. They become hazards when the fire threatens nearby people or property.
It is important to know what to do.
 For more information, see the New Zealand Fire Service
website: www3.fire.org.nz.
B
before

• Make sure that garden hoses are connected to taps and reach all areas of
your property.
• Keep your driveway clear so that fire appliances can reach your house.
• Make sure your property is easy to find from the road.
• Plan and practise how you will evacuate.
• Know at least two suitable exit routes from your neighbourhood.
• Make sure you have emergency survival items at home as well as a
getaway bag if you have to leave in a hurry.
D
during

• Dial 111.
•Follow the instructions of emergency personnel.
• If you have to evacuate:
o close all doors and windows
o leave outside doors unlocked so that fire-fighters can get in easily if
they have to
o leave a light on in each room to help improve the visibility for fire-
fighters if it is smoky.
• If caught in the open, move to an area with low fuel, such as a clearing, lake
or previously burnt ground.
• Don't try to outrun the fire – move across the front of the fire to the flanks
(sides).
• Move downhill – the most intense fire will be at the top of hills.
• Don't try to run through the flames unless you can clearly see behind them.
• Try to get in or behind something to avoid the radiant heat.
• Stay low and cover your mouth and nose with a wet cloth.
A
after

• Do not go sightseeing.
•
Beware of hotspots as they can flare up again.
Your family needs to have a plan for what to do if there is an emergency.
 You should talk with your family about these things
A
Home

• Where to shelter in an earthquake, flood, volcanic eruption or storm.

• How to evacuate and where to meet.
• Where survival items and first aid kits are located, and who is responsible
for checking essential items.
• How to contact family members and emergency services.
• The local Civil Defence warning system.
• Where your nearest Civil Defence Centre or sector post is located.
• How to turn off gas, electricity and water at the mains.
I
Your Street

• Know your neighbours and what you can do to assist each other.
P
eople with Disabilities

• If you have a disability, make arrangements with a family member, friend or

neighbour to help you in an emergency.
• People with disabilities may have difficulties during a disaster at home, or
if they are in an unfamiliar Civil Defence Centre. You should arrange some
sort of 'buddy' system.
• People with asthma and other respiratory disorders may be especially
affected by stress, dust or volcanic ash. Have plenty of medicines and face
masks in your Emergency Survival Kit.
• If you have special food needs, be sure you always have enough at home
to include with your emergency survival items.

are severe tropical storms that form in the southern Atlantic

Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes
gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. Evaporation from the
seawater increases their power.

Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around an "eye." Hurricanes have

winds at least 74 miles per hour. When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong
 winds and heavy waves can damage buildings, trees and cars. The heavy waves are
called a storm surge. Storm surges are very dangerous and a major reason why you
MUST stay away from the ocean during a hurricane warning or hurricane.

the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, FEMA responded mostly to natural
disasters such as floods or tornadoes. But on September 11th, when terrorists flew
planes into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and the
countryside of Pennsylvania, the nation's focus changed. So did FEMA's focus.

Now, FEMA is one of the federal agencies devoting its energies toward homeland
security. Since September 11th, often just called 9/11, parents and children need to
know more about terrorism and how to prepare and protect themselves.

what is terrorism? Terrorism is the use of force or violence against people or property to
create fear and to get publicity for political causes. Terrorists are criminals and when
they are caught they are put on trial. Acts of terrorism include: threats of violence,
assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, bomb scares and bombings, and the use of
chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

Targets for terrorism include government buildings, large airports, big cities and national
landmarks. Terrorists might also target large public gatherings, water and food supplies,
and utilities such as electric plants. Terrorists might also spread fear by sending
explosives or chemical and biological agents through the mail.

is a scary thing. Before you go any further on this page, you need to have permission of
an adult. Check with your parent or teacher (if you are at school) or another adult to
make sure you have the OK to learn more.