Emergency Planning Resources

See here!

Redcliffs is a great place to live, but it has some geographical challenges, and besides there is a possibility of natural or man-made emergency events anywhere at any time. So we have prepared this page as a quick reference guide - please bookmark it in case you need information in a hurry. 
In the event of an emergency Redcliffs has a Response and Resilience Team which will open a Community Emergency Hub if needed. This is most likely to be at the Tennis Club, 75 Main Road - residents will be notified by email if possible. The team email is redcliffsresponse@gmail.com.

Consider registering for mobile phone alerts - see below.

For comments and additions, or if you are interested in being part of the local Redcliffs Response and Resilience Team, contact response-team@redcliffs.org.nz.

Also consider using the Facebook pages at Redcliffs Residents Association,  and Civil Defence and Emergency Management, 

The most important things...  

Three things actually:

• INFORMATION which is fast. accurate and up to date
• PEOPLE  knowing who is who, how to contact them and whether you have any vulnerable neighbours 
• PLANNING for kit, evacuation, family, neighbours and communications - see below

Information listed here 

• Advice for residents in an emergency - see below.
• Local resources, Emergency Hub and evacuation/support centres.
• Pandemic advice.
• Tsunami advice and Coastal Evacuation Zone map for Redcliffs 
• Neighbourhood support (join Christchurch Gets Ready)
• Communications in an emergency situation.
• How to plan in advance to protect yourself, your family and your neighbours.

People

• Local contacts. Consider the neighbourhood co-ordinators - do you know yours? - do you want to be a street co-ordinator yourself? Go to Community Groups.
• The Redcliffs Residents Association Committee has a co-ordinating function.
• Your neighbours
• Local resources are listed in our Local Directory

Planning

• At home - kit, food, medicines, water, power, communication
• Agreed family plan
• Evacuation routes 
• Government advice at https://getthru.govt.nz

Advice for residents in an emergency

Pandemic

The best site for information is the Ministry of Health, here.

Telephone advice helpline for coronavirus issues only - phone Healthline on 0800 358 5453.

For local support in case of doubt or difficulty contact redcliffsresponse@gmail.com.

Make sure you have a plan in case you have to self-isolate for 2 weeks.
For advice on SELF-ISOLATION go here.

Remember DO NOT GO directly to your GP, hospital or After Hours clinic if unwell with a flu-like illness or fever+cough or if you might have been exposed to Covid-19 virus. Instead telephone them first to make arrangements.

Consider keeping reasonable stocks in the cupboard of food, soap and detergent, disinfectant and cleaning materials, sanitary products but stop short of hoarding or you deprive others. Make sure you order regular medicines well before they run out so you never have less than one month's supply.

Get plenty of exercise - walking outdoors and cycling are not going to infect anyone.

Don't waste your money on vitamins, supplements and "immune boosters" as there is no evidence any of them work in this situation - spend the money on a good mix of fresh fruit and vegetables instead, which will give you the quality nutrition you need.

Earthquake advice

Go to the Council website here, for full information on actions to take.

Watch out for rockfall near cliffs and crags, especially during aftershocks when you might be trying to respond to a significant earthquake.

If you experience a rolling earthquake going on for more than a minute, or a severe earthquake that prevents you from standing up, and you are within 1km (15 minutes walk) of the coast at or near sea level, consider the risk of tsunami also. 

Earthquake information (location, strength etc) is rapidly available on the government Geonet site and local earthquakes will also be shown in detail on Canterbury Quake Live.

Tsunami advice

Fortunately the experts consider there is very little chance of a significant event here from local faults in Pegasus Bay or landslips in the Kaikoura Trench. For a regional event though which would likely be generated from faults near the north of the South Island , there would be potentially about 1-2 hours warning for Christchurch and Banks Peninsula. The key take home message is not to wait for the official warning and especially not for the sirens. The earthquake itself will be your warning and if you feel a rolling earthquake lasting over a minute, and you are within 1 km of the coast near sea level, get inland or to higher ground - at least 4 metres above sea level. The impact of an event will crucially depend on the state of the tide as well as the size and power of the tsunami.  Large tsunamis may be generated off the coast of Chile but these will give about 12 hours warning - therefore they need a different evacuation plan and will give time for a more organised response.

Tsunami warnings will come via Radio, TV, Facebook, neighbourhood support such as Christchurch Gets Ready, and coastal area sirens (present in Redcliffs and tested every 6 months on a Sunday).

There is a very good page of advice and links to maps of the danger zones at Canterbury Tsunami Hazards here.

Regional source tsunami info from Ecan

A regional source tsunami may come from the east and north of the North Island or from off the Fiordland coast. It is unlikely to be large, but it may flood low-lying areas.

The most likely regional tsunami source is the Hikurangi subduction zone off the Wairarapa/Hawke’s Bay coastline. Earthquakes are thought to occur here every few thousand years but the timing of the last earthquake in this area is not known. A tsunami from this fault would take between one to two hours to reach the Christchurch and Banks Peninsula coast. Sea heights above normal tide height at the coast would probably be between one to two metres, but could be higher than this in some localised areas because of the way tsunamis slosh around in Pegasus Bay.

Warnings

It is likely that there will be time to sound the tsunami warning sirens for a tsunami generated in the Hikurangi subduction zone. However, the most important warning will be the natural warning signs.
Be ready to act if you are at the coast or within two blocks of the coast and experience any of the following:

• Feel a moderate, rolling earthquake that lasts for a minute or more;
• See a sudden rise or fall in sea level;
• Hear loud and unusual noises from the sea.

If you have concerns, do not wait for an official warning or for the sirens to sound. Evacuate if you feel it is the safest thing to do.

What to do

If you are on the beach or within two blocks of the coast, estuary or a river mouth and feel a moderate rolling earthquake that lasts a minute or more:

• Move quickly inland or at least two blocks away from the coast, estuary or river mouth or to higher ground (at least four metres high). Use the safest route that you can. Within those first two blocks every step that you move inland or up hill, the safer you will be.
• You should aim to be at least four metres above sea level if you are still within two blocks of the coast. It is unlikely the water from a tsunami in Pegasus Bay would go higher than this.
• Only use your car if you have to.
• You will need to use commonsense to work out the best route to use from where you are located.
• Be aware that if the ground shaking is strong, there may be unstable cliffs and rockfall in hillside suburbs. Think about weather conditions.

It is your responsibility to determine the best place for you and those with you to move to.

Coastal evacuation information from the Council is available here.  A searchable map is here.

Here is the Coastal Evacuation Map for Redcliffs. Are you in the orange or yellow zone? Check your address now. The red (beach and water) and orange zones should self evacuate if you feel an earthquake which is long (more than one minute) or strong (hard to stand up). The yellow zone need only evacuate if an official tsunami warning for this zone has been issued.

Accident

Dial 111 for emergency services.  There is a volunteer fire brigade in Wiggins Street, Sumner.  You will find a medical centre at 184 Main Road, Redcliffs.

Medical

Advice - Healthline 0800 611 116

Pandemic/Covid-19 advice - Helpline 0800 3585453

Dial 111 for an ambulance, or go to:

Redcliffs Medical Centre
Doctors: Dr Graham Macdonald, Dr Felix Rueppell, Dr Lauren Cumberpatch
184 Main Road, Redcliffs
Phone: (03) 384 1151
Website: www.redcliffsmc.co.nz

Pharmacy - Redcliffs Pharmacy
87 Main Road, Redcliffs
Open:  Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm
Phone/fax:  (03) 384 1037
Email: retail@redcliffspharmacy.co.nz
Website: www.redcliffspharmacy.co.nz

Heart defibrillators available at:

- Redcliffs Medical Centre, 184 Main Road
- Bowling Club, 9 James Street
- Mt Pleasant Community Centre, McCormacks Bay
- Mt Pleasant School 82 Major Hornbrook Road
- New World Redcliffs

After hours GP care & medicines
24 Hour Surgery at
401 Madras Street
Phone: (03) 365 7777

Local resources and evacuation/support centres

In an emergency, contact us at redcliffsresponse@gmail.com.

The Redcliffs Response Team will set up an EMERGENCY HUB in Redcliffs if needed. This will be sited at the Redcliffs Tennis Club at 75 Main Road. This will provide a communications and coordination centre for the area.

The Mt Pleasant Community Response and Resilience Team may open Mt Pleasant School in Major Hornbrook Road as a drop-in welfare centre if needed. In the event of a tsunami warning the Redcliffs Emergency Hub will relocate to Mt Pleasant School.

The nearest official welfare centre or Emergency Assistance Centre, run by Council if an evacuation or welfare centre is needed, will be at Linwood College, Aldwins Road.

Redcliffs has some facilities (space and shelter, kitchen, toilets) at:

Redcliffs Public Library
Main Road
Open: Mon - Fri 10am - 4pm, Sat 10.30am - 12.30pm
Email: redcliffspubliclibraryinc@gmail.com.
Website: www.facebook.com/RedcliffsLibrary

Bowling Club and Function Centre
9 James Street
Phone: (03) 384 3733. Facebook site: here.
Email: redcliffsbowls@xtra.co.nz

Redcliffs Tennis Club
75 Main Road
Tel: Di France 0273843074
Email: redcliffstennis@gmail.com

Port Hills Uniting Parish Church
4 Augusta Street, Redcliffs. 
Local contact: Jim and Margaret Park. Phone: (03) 384 1535. Email jim.park@xtra.co.nz.

St Andrew's Anglican Church
148 Main Road, Redcliffs.
Phone: (03) 326 6251 

Neighbourhood support

There is a Redcliffs Response and Resilience Team - email response.team@redcliffs.org.nz or go to the RRA Facebook page.  You could be part of this - contact us if you want more information.  Here are the latest meeting notes. The Team will open a Community Emergency Hub at the Tennis Club, 75 Main Road, if needed.

Sign up in advance to Neighbourhood Support at Christchurch Gets Ready for alerts and useful information, and register your own skills and resources . Get to know your neighbours, their strengths and needs.

See our Community Groups page for street co-ordinators and other resources.  

Contact the Redcliffs Residents Association here if you know of anyone nearby or any friends or relatives in the area who would need help with evacuation or general support in an emergency.

Neighbouring groups:

Heathcote Village Community
Facebook: www.facebook.com/heathcotevillageproject
Email: heathcotevillageproject@gmail.com

Project Lyttelton
Website: www.lyttelton.net.nz

Mount Pleasant Memorial Community Centre and Residents Association
Website: www.mpcc.org.nz

South Brighton Residents Association
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrightsideTheSouth

Southshore Residents Association
Website: Facebook www.facebook.com/SouthshoreResidentsAssn

Sumner Community Residents Association
Information at The Hub, 47 Nayland Street
Website: www.sumnerresidents.co.nz

Communications in an emergency situation

Remember that the mobile phone network may be overloaded in an emergency situation and text messages may be delayed, sometimes by hours. We suggest you put the time you sent each message in the message itself as they may get out of order. Cordless landline phones and fibre-optic networks need power - have you got an old style plug-in handset or an independent power source?

Listen to the radio

Listen to the radio for up to date warnings and instructions. The main channels that will be used during emergencies are:

• National Radio – 101.7 FM or 675 AM
• Classic Hits – 97.7 FM or 96.5 FM
• Newstalk ZB – 1098 AM
• More FM – 92.1 FM
• Radio Live – 99.3 FM or 738 AM
• The Breeze – 94.5 FM
• Plains FM - 96.9FM

National Radio is likely to be the most current.  The TV stations may not react as quickly.

Facebook

Facebook has the facility to let your friends know that you are safe with one notification - this can save you a lot of time and reduce the strain on the mobile phone/txt network. A group email is an alternative.

Christchurch Civil Defence and Emergency Management has a Facebook page which is very useful, find it here.

Council 

Christchurch Civil Defence and Emergency Management also has a website here with useful information. If you need to contact them phone the Council Switchboard on (03) 941 8999, or go to their Facebook page. Or contact the Redcliffs Response and Resilience Team to liaise.

Gets Ready

Christchurch Gets Ready is a local information network, and links in with neighbourhood support - sign up for texts and email alerts, BEFORE you need them! Go to Getsready and join up. 

Mobile phone alerts

Most up to date cellphones have an emergency alert facility which can be switched on in settings. For more information and to see if your phone is capable, go here.

Personal planning

How to plan in advance to protect yourself, your family and your neighbours?  See the Get Thru website.

Get an emergency kit together so you and your family can be independent for at least 3 days. Take warm clothes, good shoes, important documents and proof of address.  Advice here.

Protect your house and possessions from earthquake damage.  Advice here.

Work out your own family evacuation/emergency plans for various contingencies. Remember to secure your house if you are evacuating and take proof of identity/address if you can - for getting back through cordons.

Also act now to set up your communications links - Facebook. Canterbury Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) website. and Facebook.

Useful links:

Homeowners Guide to Lightning Safety

Preparing for Disasters in Your Home: What to Buy, What to Skip

Emergency Preparedness and Pets

Important Legal Documents for Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Preparedness for Seniors

How to Organize and Prepare for Disasters