Pair install tank in case of disaster

In the aftermath of the 8.8 magnitude Chilean earthquake on February 27, a Marlborough couple have installed a water tank to help them survive if the same thing should happen here.

Tony Thiel installed the $500, 500-litre water tank in his garden, after realising his 60-litre containers of water would not last long in an emergency.

Mr Thiel and his wife, Coral, have worked as entertainers in Santiago, Chile, about three times and have friends living there.

Mr Thiel said this made the earthquake more real to them, because they knew people and places affected. "It's rumbling everywhere and we're also sitting on the ring of fire in New Zealand."

Mr Thiel filled the tank with tap water which he would use for cooking, drinking and brushing his teeth if needed.

He estimated it would last him and his wife at least two weeks.

It is part of their emergency preparations and provisions which include canned fish, a first-aid kit and a gas cooker.

Mr Thiel said many New Zealanders seemed to have the mentality that it would not happen to them, which was not the right way to think about the likelihood of an earthquake.

"It's an investment of $500, which is peanuts compared with the benefits."

He bought the tank from Mico.

Marlborough emergency services manager Ross Hamilton said the Thiels were well prepared for a crisis, as the recommended amount of drinking water to be stored per person per day was three litres.

He said installing a tank was something he had considered doing himself to complement his existing survival kit.

- The Marlborough Express

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Shirley   #1   02:18 pm Mar 10 2010

We use to have to use rain water for our home In Karamea, which was great, have thought about it here too mainly for watering the garden but what stops us is the Vineyard sprays that get on the roof during the spraying season, maybe something to think about.

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