Message to the people of Hawke’s Bay

It’s been a tough five weeks, but you have done well. Right now, the adrenaline will be dropping, and exhaustion will be setting in, leaving you with the realisation that your world has changed, irrevocably.

It’s a crappy feeling, I’m so sorry. I know the feeling, and the first thing I want to say to you, is that this will pass, there is a good life on the other side.

Who am I to comment, you ask? Well simply, I’ve been there.

Hopefully now you are at a point where you can pause, take a breath and look to the longer term. I highly recommend you do so. Taking a minute now, will save you a lot of angst, stress and work in the longer term. Take a minute to acknowledge the huge amount of work you’ve done so far, yes there’s more to do, but you have done a lot.

Take a minute and give yourself the space to grieve for what you’ve lost and for what has changed. You may be experiencing anger, sadness, exhaustion, disengagement, denial. These emotions are all normal, it’s okay to acknowledge them. Like grief, you will go through stages of emotion.

Recovery is a marathon, and marathons need preparation and planning to survive them well. So does recovery.

Everybody’s recovery journey will be slightly different. You are the expert in your life. What is most important to you? Whether that is connecting with whanāu, or playing golf, make a commitment to doing the things you value. That is what gets you through the marathon.

Some days will be good, many not so good. It slowly gets better but knowing what is important and looking after yourself and each other will help when you need to dig deep.

Kia kaha Hawke’s Bay.

• Jessica Petersen is from Christchurch and has worked as an emergency management professional for the last 13 years. She is still repairing her earthquake damaged house. Her favourite thing to do is walk the beach with her husband and dog.

31 March 2023

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