Scientists are always telling you to make sure you're ready for the next big earthquake,
but I bet a few of you are wishing you knew what the earth scientist here at GNS are doing.
So few of them decided to show us
I'm Hannah Brackley and I'm head of the tectonophysics department at GNS Science.
I live here in a Wellington City apartment block
where I have been for about eight years now.
when the Sunday afternoon Cook Strait earthquake hit, I was outside at the gate,
about to come into the apartment building.
I felt very strong shaking so I just stayed up there by the road
where I knew I was clear of anything that might fall or cause any harm.
The apartment building was built in the mid 1960s,
and it's been rated by Wellington City Council is 69% of the current new building standard,
so well above their requirements in terms of earthquake strength.
If I was to be here in the apartment during a strong earthquake,
I would drop cover and hold.
After the shaking had stopped I would move into the hallway.
This is probably the strongest part of the building in the hallway here.
Once the shaking has stopped
I would leave the apartment and evacuate down the stairwell, rather than using the lift .
I've had the bookshelf secured to the wall in order to prevent it falling in an earthquake.
The other thing I have done is remove large items that I previously had
on the top shelf here.
I've taking them down so that they won't fall in an earthquake.
My survival kit is still a bit of a work in progress and I haven't yet got any food in it,
but I have got quite a well-stocked pantry
so I would hope to be able to call on that.
I have the beginnings of an emergency kit here in my storage cupboard
Again in the strongest part of the building,
somewhere that I should be able to access easily enough.
I've got a container of water
and in my emergency kit I have some plastic bags,
a rain poncho,
a couple of torches,
I've also got a windup radio, torch, and mobile phone charger all in one. It's a hand driven device.
Some spare batteries, and a water bottle.
There is clearly room for more items to be added, but it's a starting point.
I'm on the board of directors for the apartment building.
As a board we decided to develop a disaster plan for the building.
The main principle that the plan is that individuals should be prepared themselves.
They should have their emergency kit,
and an individual plan for in case of an emergency.
But if there was to be a large earthquake or any other emergency,
we would work together as a community, and support one another.
I think most wellingtonians know that we could well have a large earthquake,
or a number of earthquakes here in our city,
and it is our responsibility to individually be prepared.
Living in an apartment building like this,
way also are small community and together we need to be prepared, and support one another.
So having the disaster plan for our building is an action we've taken
to try and be prepared for such a situation.