The Wairoa District Council maintains a system for managing major emergencies. It provides co-ordination and emergency management when a disastrous event is so big that normal emergency and essential services cannot cope on their own without additional assistance.
Paid and volunteer staff come together to provide Civil Defence control and this team becomes the overall emergency manager. Civil Defence works with emergency services to gather information about the event and the damage involved so resources such as people or equipment can be allocated where the need is greatest and most urgent.
The Civil Defence priority is public safety reducing the loss of life and injury, and relieving the distress of those affected by the disaster. Civil Defence is often involved in localised events such as floods and storms, monitoring conditions throughout the troubled district, tracking weather patterns and keeping an overview to ensure safety.
If a state of Civil Defence is in force, you must follow all instructions given by emergency services and civil defence.
The Wairoa District Council is responsible for facilitating strategies in order to achieve an appropriate level of comprehensive emergency management for disasters within the Wairoa District. The primary goal is to enable communities to be self reliant in an emergency. Council places emphasis on encouraging communities to reduce the likely impact from, prepare for, and be able to respond effectively to, emergency events on their own.
The aim is to control, prevent or reduce, loss of life, damage to property and environmental impact. The long term focus for Council is to ensure that threats to life and property in emergency situations are effectively managed, in accordance with legislative requirements.
For more information relating to Civil Defence, you can contact Kevin Duley at Wairoa District Council Offices, and on (06) 838 7309.
Educate yourself using the Hawkes Bay Regional Council website and Ministry of Civil Defence website which contain important information including:
Hazard Information
Wairoa and Hawke's Bay in general is vulnerable to many natural hazards – earthquakes, tsunami, landslides, floods, storms, heavy seas and even diseases affecting humans, animals and plants. We are also vulnerable to man-made hazards such as fires and chemical or oil spills. By knowing how to reduce the risks and what action to take if an emergency does occur, we can all be safer.
Please refer to the Hawke's Bay Emergency Management Group website for further Hazards Information.
Learn More…
Being Prepared – How to be Ready for an Emergency!
Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan
Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan "click here"
The adoption of this Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan marks a milestone for Hawke’s Bay. It is the result of a high level of co-operation and assistance among all the Councils, emergency services, welfare organisations, and engineering lifeline utilities in the Region.
Other documents
Links
Hawke's Bay Emergency Management Group
