THE PRESS MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 1984, Southland faces long ordeal

Press, 30 January 1984, Page 16

THE PRESS MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 1984, Southland faces long ordeal

Southland’s days of flooding amount to a disaster of immense proportions by the standards of civil disruptions and physical losses that have been suffered in this country. Fires, floods, earthquakes, ship and air disasters, land-slides, gales, and epidemics of disease have all caused losses of life, shelter, and property on a tragic scale many times. The flooding of parts of Invercargill and of many other places in Southland at the end of last week must be seen as a provincial disaster, mercifully without loss of life, that will draw heavily on national resources as well as on the strengths and means of Southlanders. This has already been recognised by the Government, by such supporting organisations as Civil Defence, and the Red Cross, and by individuals who stand ready to assist. When floodwaters have subsided, buildings, trees, roads, bridges, vehicles, machines, fences, and most of the other furniture and equipment of living resume, at a glance, their normal appearance. In fact, apart from flood debris, the damage and disarray will- be enormous. The time, money, patience, and distraction from other activities needed to make homes habitable, and to restore farms, factories, machines, communications, and power and water supplies to working condition, will never be measured. By experience, some people will understand the meaning of such floods. Others, by applying their imagination to the consequences of

flooding in their own circumstances, should soon grasp the meaning as well. One aspect of flooding that is so widespread and has put hundreds of people out of their homes is not so easy to comprehend. This is the mental and emotional strain of the experience, the concern about putting things in order again, of not being able to recover even the most treasured possessions, or of not being able to check upon the extent of the losses in the meantime. When such stress embraces one or two families, the problem is serious enough; but neighbours, friends, and public welfare agencies can give full attention to the problem and ease the personal burdens. When the scale of dislocation is so great, someone has to improvise an appropriate answer to find a way through the mental and physical muddle that is multiplied many times over. The scale creates an entirely new kind of problem. Initially, responsibility falls on the Civil Defence organisation. In weeks to come, hundreds of people in Southland will still be trying to sort out their affairs, not to mention their efforts to get back to living in reasonable order and comfort, and safety. Then comes the concern, shared by hundreds of people, over future security against further floods. The financial, physical, and technical resources that will be called on to repair the physical damage should be readily forthcoming. Careful and considerate management will be needed to repair other wounds and worries left by the floods.