Photo: RNZ
Videos in 20 languages have been released in New Zealand to help ethnic communities prepare for emergencies.
The Ministry for Ethnic Communities has collaborated with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to create eight videos focusing on different aspects of emergency preparedness and disaster response.
The videos show viewers how to prepare a disaster plan, listing essential items needed in an emergency and outlining what to do in an earthquake, tsunami, flood, storm, fire and volcanic eruption.
The videos have been translated and published in 20 languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean and others.
John Price, NEMA's director of Civil Defence Emergency Management, said New Zealand was a diverse nation that faced a wide range of hazards.
Price encouraged all households to be emergency ready, especially ethnic communities, which are more likely to be impacted by natural disasters.
"Emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone," he said. "It's important that you and your family know what to do and have a plan in place for when they happen.
"Often it's our culturally and linguistically diverse communities who are among the hardest hit in emergencies, and we want to make sure they have the information and tools to be emergency ready."
Mervin Singham, chief executive of the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, agreed.
Singham said the videos offered simple, practical advice on preparation and could help ethnic communities respond effectively.
"The communities we serve come from diverse backgrounds," he said. "[They] may not have experienced some of these natural disasters in their countries of origin. It is important to ensure they are equipped with adequate information to respond effectively to such emergencies.
"Through the COVID-19 pandemic and even before that, we have learned that it is much more effective to present information to our ethnic communities in multiple ways, and to reach out to them in their native languages."
For more information about preparing for an emergency, visit the Get Ready website.
Information on this website has also been translated into Arabic, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, te reo Māori, New Zealand sign language and four Pacific languages.
