Are you ready for the big one?

The earthquake and tsunami and the subsequent tragedy that has engulfed Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga should be a wake-up call for all Kiwis.

In New Zealand we live on an active fault line and we are surrounded by water – so we are extremely vulnerable.

And let's not kid ourselves - the big one is going to happen.

If you are sitting there laughing and scoffing you are quite seriously kidding yourself.

And as for the people who went down to the beach after hearing the tsunami warnings for the coastlines of New Zealand yesterday; well, you're all idiots - there's no other way to describe it.

I've heard reports of people standing on Takapuna beach holding babies looking out to sea.

That's just ludicrous. What kind of fool does that?

At any stage the information could have changed and the relatively small tsunami we were expecting could have become a monster.

As we have seen in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga yesterday, as well as after the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004, the potential for disaster is horrendous.

We've heard reports that the people in Samoa didn't have enough notice to get away before the wave struck, which is an absolute tragedy.

And we're already seeing reports today that reviews are underway here after some failings in the Civil Defence procedures.

There were communication issues and a fair bit of confusion in the communities that could have been directly affected.

And while some people headed for higher ground, there were the mugs who headed to the beach to get a better view.

For years, as long as I can remember, the Civil Defence message has been drummed in to us.
We're always being told to be prepared.

But are Kiwis really ready?

I think it's fair to say some are, others would probably struggle.

Are you?