The Christchurch Earthquake: “What can we do to help?”
Golden Bay is beginning to feel the very human effects of the Christchurch earthquake tragedy, and various types of assistance are happening or planned here. A range of agencies is also providing some very useful advice.
Civil Defence/Welfare advice
People affected by the Christchurch earthquake are arriving in Golden Bay. If they require somewhere to live, please get them to phone the Nelson/Tasman Civil Defence number, 03 546 0200, and they will be matched with those who are offering places. If people have homes or other accommodation to offer, they can also phone 03 546 0200.
Accommodation may also be found on the website <www.quakeescape.org.nz >.
If people require money or food, direct them in the first instance to Work and Income New Zealand at Heartlands.
The Heartlands office is collecting the names and details of people arriving so Civil Defence can get the big picture effect in Golden Bay. Either direct people to Heartlands or take basic information and get it to Heartlands (names, dates of birth, numbers in the family group, Christchurch address, address in Golden Bay if they have one; are they with family, friends, holiday home, other, all phone numbers, particular requirements, difficulties/immediate issues, immediate plans, future plans, eg do they plan to return to Christchurch after a break or plan never go back?).
The Ministry of Social Development hopes to have a website up and running soon to gather this information nationwide.
A message to pass on if the chance arises is a caution about the trauma to children, especially those under seven, if they see the earthquake continually on television. Each time they see it they may be retraumatised, as they believe it is all happening again.
Contact Sheryl Nalder for Civil Defence Welfare Nelson/Tasman at 525 9809 (h), 525 9728 (w), or 027 391 8639.
Campground Accommodation
The PoharaTop 10 Holiday Park, is offering a 50% discount for all camping and caravans. The Tukurua holiday camp is offering free tent and power sites for up to 5 days, and kids are free if you book a cabin.
The Bay’s efforts
Golden Bay First National has set up a drop-off point for donated goods. Office manager Sharon McConnon will organise the first delivery of donated goods to the Salvation Army in Christchurch next week.
They are happy to receive bottled water, disinfectant, tea, coffee, long-life milk, Milo, breakfast cereals, baked beans, spaghetti, packaged biscuits and cakes, noodles and pasta, muesli bars, candles and batteries, matches, toilet paper, dishwashing liquid, washing powder, toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, women’s toiletries, towels, blankets, plastic cups, pens and paper.
Motupipi School is having a Kids For Christchurch stall day at the school on Friday 11 March.
Ronnie Short’s Teentheatre group will run improvised theatre games nights called “Off the Cuff” at some of the district’s halls on Tuesday 8 March at Rockville, Wednesday 9 March at Onekaka and Thursday 10 March at Motupipi. All start at 7.30pm, and entry is by donation. A cup of tea and a piece of cake will also be on sale and the entire proceeds will be sent to the Christchurch earthquake fund.
The Takaka Golf Club is running an Ambrose tournament to support the earthquake fund. It is on Sunday 13 March at 10.30am and costs $25 per person. To register your team or to donate prizes ring 525 9054 or email james@goldenbay property.com.
General advice to people who experienced the earthquake:
After a traumatic event it is a normal response to feel extremely intense emotions, such as any or all of the following: energised fearlessness, numbness, unreality, anger, shame; physical sensations such as fatigue, over-alertness, poor sleep, panic, anxiety; thoughts such as flashbacks, difficulty making decisions, poor concentration and memory.
These will vary in response to circumstances but will normally lessen and pass.
If any of these intense responses become so strong that they feel overwhelming, or persist for several weeks, get help from family or friends, your GP, or the earthquake helpline. Try to avoid alcohol or non-prescribed drugs. Don’t work until you drop. Take one little job at a time. Take care of yourself.
Keep as normal a routine as possible: Eat healthy meals. Don’t skip meals or overeat.
Exercise and stay active. Help other people in your community—stay busy. Accept help from people you trust—talk about your feelings with them. Limit your time around the sights and sounds of what happened—don’t dwell on media reports.
Supporting children
Golden Bay High School formally enrolled six ex-Christchurch students earlier this week, and were expecting more to turn up as the week went by, and other Bay schools have also accommodated students.
The effects of an emergency on children often worry parents and adults. Children, however, take their lead from how they see adults managing. They are often just as able to cope with the crisis as adults are, but do it in their own way. Trust your children’s common sense, knowledge and emotional strength and your own knowledge of them. They need you to have faith in them. What is good for your kids, of course, is also good for the rest of the family, particularly the elderly.
From the Nelson Marlborough DHB:
There are no more aged residential care beds in Nelson and Marlborough. This is at rest home level, residential hospital level, and dementia care.
Nelson Marlborough DHB health controller Mike Cummins says, “Be aware that if you are considering relocating elderly relatives from aged residential care facilities in Christchurch, you must go through the vulnerable persons desk in the Canterbury DHB Emergency Operations Centre.
“There are no more beds in the district for this care; the people relocated here have taken all capacity. There is a needs assessment process that must be worked through—both in Canterbury and here—but as there are no more beds this is a moot point.
“If Nelson Marlborough residents physically uplift their elderly relatives they become their responsibility for care. There is no more capacity in the district and through the vulnerable persons desk they may be relocated to the North Island; however, they will get the care they require.”
Nelson Marlborough Hospitals have reported a steady stream of presentations to emergency departments, and increased pressure on maternity, assessment treatment and rehabilitation, and neo-natal areas.
General practices across the district are coping and the after-hours duty doctors in Nelson and Marlborough have additional support available for the increased population.
Public Health Services are working with campgrounds, marae and holiday parks, ensuring they have information about hygiene and infection control for large groups of people.
The website www.nmdhb.govt.nz has advice for people about stress and anxiety, and links to Civil Defence for Welfare Agency Group activity including accommodation, food, and advice.
Fundraising scams
There have been reports of a scam email coming through, supposedly from the Red Cross, which directs people to a fake phishing website where you are asked for credit card details. There could be a number of these fake emails and fake websites surfacing in coming days. The scam website has the same look and feel as the genuine Red Cross website. Authorities are looking to close these sites as soon as possible, but more will likely appear.
Signs that this webpage is a forgery: Christchurch is spelled incorrectly, the web address is long and not hosted on the Red Cross website and the payment page is not secure.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs advises:
· Type in the website address yourself. For the Red Cross go to www.redcross.org.nz
· Never click on any links in a spam email, nor open any files attached to them, nor call a number included in the email.
· Don’t visit a website by clicking on a link. It can activate all kinds of hidden programmes.
· Check the website address carefully. It may be similar to a legitimate charity’s, but not quite right.
· Never enter your personal details into a website unless you are sure it is genuine.
Other useful phone numbers
WINZ Earthquake Financial helpline – 0800 77 99 97
Govt Helpline – 0800 77 99 977
Child Youth & Family – 050 832 6459
Red Cross – 0800 733 276
SPCA – 379 Waimea Road – 03 547 7171
Missing relatives helpline - 0800 733 276
www.canterburyearthquake.org.nz
