Every household in the country will get an emergency checklist delivered in the mail next week, says Civil Defence Minister Rick Barker.

"The message is: get prepared now for an emergency and stay prepared," said Rick Barker.

"Some simple actions taken now can significantly reduce the impact of the disaster when it happens.

"We know that disaster awareness is high but the tendency to put things off till tomorrow means that many households are just not prepared," said Rick Barker.

The checklist, which will go to 1.6 million homes, includes a list of essential survival items and a plan for families to fill-in, setting out what each member of the household should do in an emergency.

"In the event of a disaster we can’t rely on essential services such as transport, power and communications. Everyone needs to have planned what they’ll do, where they’ll meet, who’ll pick up the kids etc," said Rick Barker.

The distribution of the household checklist ties in with a new series of television and radio ads, urging individuals and families to take action to ‘Get Ready Now’.

Rick Barker said that the ‘Get Ready Get Thru’ campaign, which was launched a year ago, seeks to increase public awareness and preparedness for the hazards we face in New Zealand.

"The message is simple – all individuals and communities have a responsibility to look after themselves and their loved ones for at least three days or more until help can get to them," said Rick Barker.

A copy of the checklist is available at:
www.getthru.govt.nz/fileadmin/CD_files/Emergency_Checklist.pdf or click on the link at the head of this page (48Kb .pdf file).