Piha, the Westcoast Beach community experienced two major floods this year; one on the 3rd of February which claimed the lives of two teenagers and another on the 28th of April. In response, members of the community and the Auckland Council are searching for ways to prevent further destruction in the event of future floods.

 

On the 29th of August, the Auckland Council released a report titled The Piha Community Resilience Project. The report recognises that Piha is “particularly at risk of natural hazards” and so the project aims to develop a “new Community Resilience Plan to increase community preparedness, which incorporates a plan for how first responders will work with this isolated community.”

A separate council report titled Piha Stream (Glenesk Road) Flooding Assesment focuses exclusively on Glenesk Road as it is especially vulnerable to floods. This road tracks the floor of Piha Valley and, from end to end, the Piha Stream runs alongside it. The floods on Glenesk Road are the result of the stream overflowing. The report analysed the extent of damage caused by the February and April floods and it also uses scientific models to forecast the frequency and magnitude of future floods. In addition, the report outlines possible solutions to mitigate damage in the future.

According to the Piha Stream Flooding Assessment report, the floods in February and April caused inundation of 24 properties and a “length of Glenesk Road from number 12 through to number 30 was inundated up to depths of 2 metres”. Additionally, the report shows that 12 rainfall events, which saw rainfall levels of 25mm or more within 90 minutes, have occurred over the last 11 years.  

The forecasts in the report suggest that a one in 10-year flooding event could inundate all houses on the north side of the Piha stream as well as two campgrounds

The report raises possible solutions to mitigate future damage. The first suggestion mentioned is to engineer work “to divert or convey storm flows away from property and people at risk.” This option will require an operation that will widen the stream from the Seaview Road Bridge to 105 Glenesk Road. However, the operation will also require the “acquisition of approximately 13 residential land parcels” and there is a high likelihood that such an operation will not gain consent under RMA regulations.

Another possible solution is to raise all vulnerable buildings above the forecasted one in 100-year flood level.

Both suggestions will be relatively expensive and so, for the time being, they remain suggestions and the council “has no legal obligation to implement any of the options”.  

Finally, the report discusses the promotion of new forecasting and communicative technologies. One caveat to this option is that it is not realistic to expect an alarm system to alert the public early enough to avoid all possible danger as the stream rises too quickly.

Local Park Ranger Geoff Calvert thinks that the Council is “doing the minimum necessary to avoid liability”. He says “they put up signs that say ‘Flooding Risk Area’, but really it’s common sense.”

However, Calvert is also unsure of any viable solutions to the problem. “Glenesk Road is in a Valley, so it was carved out by the stream, so naturally it’s going to flood and there’s not much you can do.”

It is true that the Piha Valley is prone to floods. A prominent theory amongst locals is that the congestion of the stream which leads to overflowing was largely man-made. In the early 20th century large shipments of soil and sand were placed around the stream as a foundation for development.  According to this theory, the land moving in the area “has damaged the natural ability of the floodplain of the Piha valley to absorb and slow water during storm events.” If this is true, it may be too late and costly to restore the valley to its original state.

For Calvert, the most optimal solution, currently, is to promote a “general level of awareness” to the community and visitors. He believes that once people are used to the idea that the Piha Stream will flood from time to time, the community will respond in a more “measured  and organised way.”

 

Sources

Geoff Calvert – Park Ranger

Smedley, R. (2018). Piha Stream (Glenesk Road) Flooding Assesment.

After gathering all the necessary information for my story, I’m now focusing on how I should structure the final piece. First off, I have decided to try to be as neutral as possible by revealing all the necessary information in order to cover all sides of the story.

As the Piha flood story is still unfolding, the angle I have chosen to cover surrounds the potential precautionary measures which may mitigate flood damage. I will also discuss some conflicting opinions around such measures.

To wrap up, I have found this experience so interesting. Having to go out, find a story and analyse an angle that has previously attracted little attention in the media was a very eye-opening experience.

I’m so happy that I was able to cover a story which was so close to home. Now I feel like I have a stronger connection to my community, which is a goal that every journalist should strive for.

This week I made two major breakthroughs regarding my story on the floods in Piha. First off, I got my hands on a detailed report by the Auckland Council which outlines the likelihood of future floods and potential damage and it also suggests potential strategies to mitigate such damage.

Secondly, I interviewed local Park Ranger Geoff Calvert. The interview went very well as he had a lot of interesting things to say about the topic. At the beginning of the interview, I asked Geoff a couple pre-planned questions to break the ice. After he got warmed up, I found myself speaking very little because I did not want to interrupt Geoffs train of thoughts. Instead, I focused on paying attention to him because it turns out that he had a lot of insightful opinions on the issue.

Towards the end of the interview, I mentioned the Auckland council report and Geoff said that he had read it. I then asked Geoff what he thought about the report and, to put it briefly, he said that he appreciated the council’s interest in the issue but he is skeptical about some of their approaches.

This weekend I finally organised my interview with local park ranger Geoff Calvert which will take place sometime next week. In preparation for the interview, I decided to explore the internet in search of articles relating to the Piha floods.

From what I can see, most of the news articles cover the flood that took place on the 3rd of February which seems to be the most serious flood of recent memory.

Here are some notes about the flood in February:

• Two people died after being swept away by the swollen river near Cascade Falls (Saxton, Chumko, 2018)
• The Metservice weather station recorded 27.5mm of rain at Piha between 5pm and 6pm that night (Henry, 2018).
• “Camp owner Peter Kruger said the water in the Kitekite Stream rose up within half an hour as high as his knees, and it was all gone again within another 40 minutes” (Henry, 2018).
• “On Glenesk Rd . . . 100 people were evacuated from their homes” (Henry, 2018).
  
• “A 150-meter stretch of Glen Esk Road was under two metres of water – up to the headlights of the fire truck trying to get through” (Henry, 2018).

I want to talk to Geoff about his experience that day and how he has coped with what happened.  On a more general level, I want to ask him about the floods that have happened before and after the one in February and see if he has any interesting insights.

I know from personal experience that these floods happen fairly regularly and so I plan to investigate the environmental causes and impacts of such events.

 

Henry, D. (2018). Piha park ranger says Saturday’s floods are the worst he’s ever seen. Retrieved from https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11987865

Saxton, A., & Chumko, A. (2018). Two bodies found after people swept away by river in Waitakeres, evacuations in Piha. Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/101154989/three-people-swept-away-by-river-in-waitakere

This week, I did not get much work done relating to my story because I had other assignments to get out of the way. However,  I did manage to go through the online lecture and do some of the readings.

In the book Multimedia Journalism: A Practical Guide, Bull (2015) highlights the utility of multi-media storytelling and also broadly outlines which medium to use for different situations. After reading this, I realised that images, whether its still photographs or videos, will play a very important role in conveying the dramatic aspects of my story. Bull rightfully points out that text has a useful function in connecting with the “audience’s intellect” and “with their desire to comprehend”, but it falls short in terms of portraying the serious and dramatic nature of certain events such as floods. With this in mind, the actual logistical analysis of my story will be covered by text but I will place emphasis on images in covering visually striking moments.

 

Bull, A. (2015). Multimedia journalism: A practical guide. London: Routledge.

Considering that I haven’t posted in a while, I thought I should briefly cover a topic deeply important to the Journalist profession and then relate it to my story.

Journalistic integrity is inherently linked to the idea of Journalist acting as watchdogs, monitoring and publicizing the activities of people in power. A perfect illustration of this idea came in the late 18th century when Edmond Burke referred to the press as the “fourth estate . . . contrasting it with the three Estates of the Realm in France” (Allan, 2012, p. 3). In modern times, the autonomy of the press relates to an ideal where journalist are independent of commercial and state influence.  However, skeptics are concerned that this ideal is not lived up to because of commercialisation and concentration of ownership in the media which leads to conflicts of interest and the distortion of the truth.

The Web 2.0 revolution has provided a platform for independent journalists who are not constrained by draconian editorial policies. This means that anyone with a smartphone and access to the internet is able to contribute to the public discussion. However, Burum and Quinn (2016) are concerned that the opportunities provided by user based content do not necessarily equate to a sustainable productive public sphere. They propose that journalist should be equipped with a set of skills involving “a more holistic, thoughtout, mobile digital story-telling form called mojo” which can “provide a countervailing force against a high level of precarity in society” (Burum, Quinn, 2016, p. 40)

For me and my story, I am not concerned about commercial and state influence because I’m writing as an independent. This means that I’m in an optimal position to question previous and current decisions by the council on behalf of the Piha community. Having access to the internet and social media through my smartphone also means that I can publish content quickly and efficiently.

At the end of the day though I realise that having a sufficient toolkit is only part of the process when it comes to telling a story. In order to give my story its due credit, I must utilise the concepts and theory taught in this paper.

 

Allan, S. (2012). The Routledge companion to news and journalism. London: Routledge.

Burum, I., & Quinn, S. (2016). MOJO: the mobile journalism handbook: How to make broadcast videos with an iPhone or iPad. New York: Focal Press.

 

Yesterday I was directed to a Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group Report which outlines a Community Resilience Pilot Project for Piha.

Komiti Ārai Tūmatanui me Te Toko Raru Ohorere / Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group Committee

The purpose of the initiative is “to provide an update on Auckland Emergency Management’s community resilience building initiatives in Piha.”  The report starts of by highlighting how “the Piha community is particularly at risk of natural hazards . . . exemplified by the storm events of 3 February, 10 April and 28 April 2018.”

The pilot project addresses:

1. a)   how first response activity will safely occur;
2. b)   co-development of practical tools for community to build their own resilience (of which first responders will be involved);
3. c)   ensuring that community understands their local hazards and understands the impacts of the hazards on them; and
4. d)   the review and assessment of the flood risk.

As can be see, the analysis and advice outlined in this report are relatively vague,  which is to be expected in a Council Report. However, the report delves into  more detail when discussing the intended outcomes of previous community meetings. That is to “focus on the following areas of opportunity:”

 

• a)  being prepared for an emergency at home;

 

• b)  having facilities capable of becoming centres of coordination and refuge;

 

• c)  having special plans in place for most vulnerable areas, such as Glenesk Valley; and

 

• d)  improving communications and response planning across emergency services.

 

 

 

 

Finally, the document mentions that the “Auckland Council has worked on a Flooding Assessment report for Piha Stream (Glenesk Road), which includes possible monitoring and flood warning options.” Such a report could implicate this story because it may clarify why these floods are occurring so regularly. 

 

Cooper, C. (2018). Piha Community Resilience Pilot Project. Retrieved from http://infocouncil.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/Open/2018/08/CIV_20180829_AGN_6934_AT_WEB.htm

 

 

This week my planned interview with a local park ranger was postponed because of his busy schedule. In a way, his postponement is a blessing in disguise. After the topic of interviewing was raised this week, I realised that I was ill prepared to conduct an interview because I knew little of the in and outs. Now, however, I realise that running an interview properly is more or less like an art form and that a certain skill is required to conduct a conversation which is both natural and informative.  

First of all, I understand how important it is to study the topic of discussion. At the start of the week, I was planning on just rocking up to the interview with a few relevant questions and then letting the interviewee share his knowledge. Scanlan (2013) proposes that if you show the interviewee that you have a comprehensive understanding of the topic, he/she is more likely to open up.

Secondly, I learned that in order to invoke a desired answer, the questions must be formulated in particular ways. If I want an “expansive answer”, I should ask open-ended question that include the five W’s and H. If I want a direct answer to a particular question, I will ask closed-ended questions that get straight to the point.

Finally, I recognised the primacy of being empathetic. Instead of acting like a robotic questionnaire whose sole concern is to solicit relevant information, I plan to empathise with the plight of the interviewee so that he is more likely to disclose his feelings towards the situation.

 

References

Institute, T. (2018). How journalists can become better interviewers. [online] Poynter. Available at: https://www.poynter.org/news/how-journalists-can-become-better-interviewers [Accessed 19 Aug. 2018].

This week I contacted Rewa Harker; a Glenesk Road resident. She is trying to keep up to date with unfolding news by attending council meetings and talking with other residents about the flooding issue.  Admittedly, she is not at the forefront of the movement. She is a concerned resident, however, and as far she could tell from the council meeting, there seems to be a pessimistic attitude regarding precautionary measure and their actual outcomes and also the potential costs of implementing such measures. As far as getting my foot in the door, Rewa has been extremely helpful by referring me to people who have a lot of information on the issue. The main progress I have made this week, then,  is the fact that I now have a plethora of contacts ranging from community leaders to park rangers.

With the concepts put forth in the lecture this week fresh in mind, I realize how important it is to be observant of the potential angles that could arise when covering a story.  I can see that it is vital to capture the reader’s attention by emphasizing particular themes which the reader can recognize and perhaps even relate. With regards to my story (Piha floods), a prospective angle that I wish to cover is the idea of regular citizens taking matters into their own hands in order to mitigate damages in their community. As far as the development of the story, I have arranged interviews with two locals who wish to share their experience and their planned actions for the future.