[ad_1]
123rf
A school principal had her home robbed while helping all of her students evacuate during tsunami warnings, a school teacher said.
An depōtiki teacher said her principal had her home robbed while they were helping all of her students evacuate during tsunami warnings.
About 150 children from St Joseph’s Catholic School had to be relocated yesterday morning.
The school is less than a kilometer from the coast and is also surrounded on three sides by rivers.
READ MORE:
* 6.1m ‘moderate’ earthquake reported off the east coast
* Kiritapu Allan plunges into multiple ministerial roles
* Live with alerts and alarms
* The country is not yet prepared for tsunami threats
* The day the tsunamis hit the shores of New Zealand
Val Hata, a teacher at the school, said they received the warning of the magnitude 8.1 earthquake and tsunami risk, just as people were arriving at the school.
“Very quickly, the teachers just got together and made the decision to evacuate,” he said.
“We called the buses, we rounded up the children, and within 10 to 15 minutes, the children were on the buses and leaving the city for our designated evacuation location.”
LAWRENCE SMITH AND CHRISTEL YARDLEY / THINGS
The streets of many coastal cities were cleared Friday morning as locals fled to higher ground after a tsunami warning and three earthquakes.
During his time sheltering out of harm’s way, Hata said the children felt comfortable, safe and well fed by Ōpōtiki College, which delivered food directly to them.
On her way back to town after the go-ahead, Hata said her director, Raewyn Clark, stopped by her home.
“The principal just got home on the way back to school and found out that people had broken in, made a terrible mess, and stolen things.
“We’re pretty heartbroken – she’s a very community-oriented director, she does a lot of good in this community, and being treated like that is just awful.”
“But she won’t be the only one, and that’s the terrible thing: at a time like that, people would be so cruel.”
Supplied
The images were taken from a hill overlooking the settlement north of Gisborne.
Hata said he has gone to the police and is assessing the situation at home.
“She has lost things, and things have been stolen, and her house has been vandalized. It’s just horrible.”
A 28-year-old has been charged with the robbery.
