A civil defence emergency is a natural disaster like:
an earthquake
a flood
a volcanic eruption
a cyclone
a tsunami
Where things needed for survival (like the electricity supply, water supply, shelter and food) are damaged or destroyed.

Every home should be prepared for a Civil Emergency by having an Emergency Survival Kit and keeping it updated with fresh water, food and things like fresh batteries.

Every home should also have an emergency plan so you all know:
A safe place to find shelter in an earthquake, flood or storm.
Where your Emergency Survial kit is.
How to keep in contact with each other during an emergency.
How to contact your nearest civil defence organisation for help during an emergency.

Emergency information is inside the back cover of the Yellow Pages of the phone book.

Every home should have an Emergency Survival Kit
Your Kit should contain:
Food and Water – Enough for 3 Days
• Canned or dried food
• A can opener
• A primus or BBQ to cook on
• Bottled water (3 litres per person, per day)
• Check and renew the food and water every 12 months.

Emergency Items
• First Aid Kit and essential medicines 
• Spare toilet paper and plastic rubbish bags for your emergency toilet
• Pet supplies
• Waterproof torches and spare batteries
• Radio and spare batteries
• Check the batteries every three months.

Emergency Clothing
• Wind proof and rainproof  clothing
• Sun hats
• Blankets or sleeping bags
• Strong, comfortable shoes for outdoors

Supplies for Babies and Small Children
• Food and drink
• Nappies
• Spare clothing (warm and cool)
• Favourite toy or activity

Supplies for people with Disabilities
• Hearing aids (spare batteries)
• Mobility aids (spare batteries if required)
• Glasses

Your First Aid Kit
You should have a complete First Aid kit available in your home. Check on the NZ Civil Defence website for the things you should have in your First Aid Kit

Everyone should have a small bag for a 'Getaway Kit', ready for an evacuation. Most of the items are part of your Emergency Survival Kit. Other items include:
• Family documents (birth/marriage certificates, drivers’ licences, passports, family photos and insurance policies.)
• Personal hygiene items (towels/soap & toothbrushes, and a change of clothes).  
 
The information was sourced from http://www.mcdem.govt.nz/memwebsite.nsf (The Civil Defence website)

Did you know

Every town, city or area should have a Civil Defence Centre. Civil defence centres are normally located in primary schools or other community buildings like community centres. In a major disaster or emergency civil defence centres are run by volunteers.  

If a civil defence emergency happens then the Civil defence controller and police can evacuate people which means they decide if you need to leave your home for your own safety and even where you need to be evacuated to.

In 1975, in China, 90,000 people were evacuated a few hours before an earthquake that destroyed 90 percent of the buildings in that area. The evacution happened because of  unusual animal behaviour and a number of small earthquakes (foreshocks) that suddenly stopped.

Erupting volcanoes in New Zealand have coated the Auckland area with volcanic ash at least 31 times - 14 times from Egmont/Taranaki, eight times from the Okataina volcanic centre, five times from Tongariro, three times from Taupo and once from Mayor Island. These ash layers are preserved in some areas and are up to several centimetres thick.