It’s time for clarity after flood chaos
Flowers and plants are at their brightest after the rain, making them stand out more than normal. In the same way, Auckland’s floods have also given people brief extra clarity about their city.
The floods have brought a lot of questions to the surface, from emergency preparedness and leadership to housing needs, the stability of some suburbs and the vulnerability of others, and how historic decisions flow into the future.
Regardless of how well officials, services, workers and volunteers performed their jobs once the main damage was done, actions taken or not taken on Friday, January 27 remain the most crucial to consider — with an eye to future disasters. With early warnings and decisive leadership, residents could have helped themselves and others more.
The reported failures of decision-making and communication were so widespread, an overhaul of disaster plans seems needed, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown acknowledged shortcomings in a belated apology.
How January 27 unfolded suggests the city is overly dependent on the person at the centre being able to anticipate and think ahead; be active rather than passive; push people for answers and action; make calls on a developing situation, and reassure people caught in a crisis that they will get help.
That requires experience, energy and empathy from a person who can lead from the front rather than from behind. Even if that person is a good fit for the job, there need to be other competent people in official positions who can make good decisions. Perhaps the revival of the post of Minister for Auckland offers hope there will be more urgency in the next emergency.
The more visible, methodic efforts by officials in recent days have almost been frustrating after the failures of the first day.
Auckland Emergency Management’s sending of two storm alerts to phones last week was a positive move that can’t just be forgotten about. If there’s a high likelihood of particularly damaging storms and tornadoes, alerts should be used again.
There were also historical, social, and geographical reasons why some suburbs emerged relatively unscathed and others didn’t.
High-density housing options need to be available in more resilient places on higher ground. Insurance companies are clear that houses in flood-prone areas of the country are becoming uninsurable. People need to take care in considering where they build, buy or rent.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said: “Look, we’ve got some tough calls to make as a country, including looking at things like — where have we built houses? Are there particular communities that are going to be more vulnerable? Do we need to do more in those areas?”