Editing 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake (section)

== Response ==
Shortly after the earthquake, people escaped to the Marine Parade Beach. After noticing that the shoreline had receded, they ran away in panic under the expectation that a tsunami was on its way. There was, however, no tidal wave; the receded shoreline was caused by the land moving upwards.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fowler |first=Michael |date=27 November 2016 |title=1931 quake sparked tidal-wave fear |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/1931-quake-sparked-tidal-wave-fear/FJDGAEWDELHBC64YVESUTJDZHA/ |access-date=16 May 2024 |department=[[Hawke's Bay Today]] |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]}}</ref><ref name=":5" />[[File:1931_Hawkes_Bay_Earthquake_-_Telegram_from_King_George_V_(24290801269).jpg|thumb|Telegram from [[King George V]] to Governor-General of New Zealand, 3 February 1931]]On 4 February over 5,000 people evacuated Napier,<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Hawke's Bay earthquake |url=https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/hawkes-bay-earthquake |access-date=15 May 2024 |website=my.christchurchcitylibraries.com}}</ref> mainly women and children. Men were expected to stay to help out with the recovery. The army and navy also arrived in Napier to help with the recovery. [[Nelson Park, Napier|Nelson Park]] served as Napier's "evacuation centre" which was the site of many tents and was able to cater for over 1,000 people from a [[field kitchen]]. Many people also lived in tents in [[Marine Parade, New Zealand|Marine Parade]] and other places. There were several places that gave out free food in Napier and Hawke's Bay, such as in several schools. Water barrels were also kept full to allow for people to take from them, after losing water access from their homes.<ref name=":0" />

Within four days of the quake, cinemas around New Zealand offered news specials about the disaster.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

=== HMS ''Veronica'' ===
The death toll might have been much higher had the [[Royal Navy]] ship [[HMS Veronica (1915)|HMS ''Veronica'']] not been in port at the time. Within minutes of the shock the ''Veronica'' had sent radio messages asking for help. The sailors joined survivors to fight the fires, rescue trapped people and help give them medical treatment. The ''Veronica'''s radio was used to transmit news of the disaster to the outside world and to seek assistance. The crew from two cargo ships, the ''Northumberland'' and ''Taranaki'', also joined the rescue works, while two cruisers, [[HMS Diomede (D92)|HMS ''Diomede'']] and [[HMS Dunedin (D93)|HMS ''Dunedin'']], were dispatched from Auckland that afternoon with food, tents, medicine, blankets, and a team of doctors and nurses. The cruisers sailed at high speed overnight, arrived on 4 February and provided valuable assistance in all areas until their departure on 11 February.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}