Just before New Years Eve in 2011 Merv and I travelled to Auckland New Zealand and cruised around New Zealand returning to Sydney after visiting Melbourne and Hobart. We spent a day exploring Wellington, the capital city. It was January 1st 2012 and a light splattering of rain kept our umbrellas ready for use. The air was cold and we were well rugged up. We took the tram up the steep hill to the Botanic gardens and enjoyed the view of sprawling Wellington below. We later visited the museum and learnt how New Zealand is positioned on the margin between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, leaving parts of the island very seismically active.
We visited New Zealand nine months after the horrific Christchurch earthquake. The cruise ships anchor in the bay of Akoroa due to the damaged wharf at Christchurch. Today I heard there has been a strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake in Wellington and my mind filled with memories of our visit and despair for people who have suffered loss.
I began to explore what we would I do if an emergency happened to us? What if our house was unsafe to live in? Where would we go? We have spent a deal of money renovating the house and installing a disability access bathroom and toilet for Merv. The thought of how would we overcome this provided me with little comfort and no immediate answer. I have not considered this before and realised we don't have an emergency plan! We have house and contents insurance, but living somewhere else before our house was made liveable again would create all types of issues, especially with Merv's mobility.
Hopefully it will never happen but emergency plans are made for a reason. There is no time like the present to start a plan.
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