Local Civil Defence Happy With Recent Tsunami Response

A debrief was held at the Waitaki District Civil Defence Headquarters this week to discuss and identify any issues following their activation as a result of the recent Samoan earthquake and tsunami warning.

Around 10 members of the EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) team attended and all agreed that generally the response in our district went well.

It was difficult to ascertain correct information as various media sources were relaying conflicting reports, however the EOC team responded well.

Chris Raine, Emergency Services Manager said “Our local response highlighted the things we do well in our district. It also raised some minor issues which have been addressed amongst the response group. We look forward to continually improving our processes”.

The public were kept informed through radio messages directly from the EOC. A number of low lying coastal roads were closed for a short period and then monitored by Whitestone Contracting Ltd staff who continued to advise the public of the potential risk.

“Most people spoken to on the roadside were happy to be informed of the risk on the coastal roads” said Mr Raine.

“This activation once again proves that with good knowledge and planning, an efficient and effective response to an emergency situation is achievable. Our community can begin to see the value of their own resilience in an emergency.”