New Zealand ShakeOut - 9:26 - 26:9

At 9.26am on Wednesday 26 September (9:26-26:9), we aim to have 1 million people throughout New Zealand participate in the New Zealand ShakeOut earthquake drill.

You could be anywhere – at home, at work, at school or on holiday. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the drill wherever you are at 9:26-26:9.



http://www.shakeout.govt.nz/

The website went live yesterday with a launch at Owhiro Bay School in Wellington. It has been up and running for barely 24 hours, and already there are more than 13,000 participants registered!

In 2011 the Great California ShakeOut had 8.6 million participants, we haven't quite got that many, but we hope to get 1 million New Zealanders, with at least 110,00 from the Wellington Region alone. How many can Porirua get?

Register now, and encourage your family and workmates to join in!

Dalight Savings ends this weekend

It's that time of year again.


This Sunday we all put our clocks back one hour. Remember "Spring forward, Fall back".


The Fire Service would like to remind you to change your smoke alarm batteries, or get a couple of smoke alarms if you haven't got any - contact the Fire Service if cost is going to be a problem.


And while you are thinking about keeping your family safe, it's a good time to check your emergency supplies.

Check that you can find all of your survival items, and make sure that they work. You don't need to keep them all in a special kit, I've got mine all over the house!

Check that your household plan is up to date, and everyone knows what to do. Has anyone on your emergency contacts list changed phone numbers, or moved house?

Check that your long-life food hasn't gone past its expiry date. Have a look for swelling, dents or rust on tins, as they are signs that the contents may not be good anymore. I write the date I bought canned food on the top, so I know to use the oldest tins first.

Have a look at your emergency water supply. If it's gone a bit green or has floaties, give the bottle a good clean out, and refill or replace it, and store a few more for good measure. You can never have too much. Don't forget you can pick up 10L water containers from the council office, for just $5 each.

150km/h winds tonight!

The MetService has issued a Severe Weather Warning for heavy rain as well as severe gales for tonight and tomorrow.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6512127/Weather-bomb-forecast-widened

In the 17 hours from 10pm Friday (tonight), we can expect 100 to 120mm of rain, and from about 4am to 4pm Saturday (tomorrow) we can expect damaging south to southeast winds with gusts up to 150km/h!

Rough seas and heavy swells may cause erosion and storm surge inundation in some coastal areas. Conditions should ease later on Saturday as the low moves away to the east.

Winds of this strength can be quite damaging to loose structures, and make driving very hazardous - I'd expect the road over the Rimutakas to be closed due to the wind strength. Powerlines may be damaged, so there may be outages.

Please make sure that any outdoor furniture, rubbish bins and trampolines etc, are well secured, and take extreme care if you have to drive anywhere.

Check the drains around your house, and on the street, and make sure they are clear. The simple act of clearing away rubbish or leaves may help prevent flooding when the rain arrives.

Call the council 237 5089 about flooded drains, call 111 if there is anything really dangerous happening.

Can you identify any of these people?

Our office was burgled during the night between Thursday 15 and Friday 16 February.

A number of laptops, emergency supplies, day packs and tools were stolen. These items are integral to the response the Porirua City Council can make in a civil emergency and of course if we have an emergency before the items are returned or replaced the response will be severely diminished. The emergency centre is a community based resource.

The Porirua Police have posted some CCTV footage of people carrying our stolen gear as they passed though the subway by Porirua train station. If you recognise any of the people in this footage, or have any information about this incident, please contact Constable Damian Parker at the Porirua Police 04 439 0624 or call Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. All calls are confidential. When calling please quote reference 120217/0681.

https://www.facebook.com/PoriruaPolice#!/photo.php?v=261078680637166

https://www.facebook.com/PoriruaPolice#!/photo.php?v=261079770637057