Southern Staff Deployed to Christchurch

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Southland staff from all three emergency services and the Red Cross have been deployed to Christchurch to join the earthquake rescue response.

Emergency Management Southland is coordinating requests for assistance, Advisor Craig Sinclair said.

The Fire Service sent its fully staffed Invercargill command unit to Christchurch overnight, joining the pump unit dispatched yesterday.

Fourteen police left Invercargill this morning, with six ambulance officers, two ambulances and a support vehicle also on their way to Christchurch.

Emergency Management Southland Manager Neil Cruickshank is in transit while the civil defence welfare team which helped in Christchurch after the September quake are all on standby to leave at the weekend.

Other headquarters staff are available to leave immediately but Mr Sinclair said that Emergency Management Southland had yet to hear from the National Crisis Management Centre about exactly who would be needed, and when.