Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group
Media Release
For immediate release

Event: Tornado Emergency in Taranaki
Media release no: 14
Date/Time: 1425 hrs 7 July 2007

Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency

Taranaki moves into recovery mode

The state of emergency was lifted at 10am on Saturday 7 July, and the Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group is now focusing on recovery.

The group understands that this is the stage that people caught up in a natural disaster will be feeling the effects of the last few days. Civil Defence Emergency Management Recovery Manager, Bev Raine, is asking people who need help or advice to call into the welfare centre in the Oakura Bowling Club or to call the Emergency Welfare number 0800 779 997.

“Anyone who needs immediate support or assistance should call in and see the team at the welfare centre who can point them in the right direction,” Mrs Raine said.

“This type of event is pretty traumatic for everyone involved and it is important that people seek support as they need it over the next few days and weeks - even if they just need someone to talk to."

Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management and the Ministry of Social Development have issued a welfare notice to assist the victims of the worst hit area, Oakura. Those notices will be distributed by volunteers this afternoon (Saturday) and contain the following information:

INSURANCE INFORMATION

• Lodge your claim with your insurer as soon as possible.

• If you can’t remember who your insurer is, contact the Insurance Council on 04 472 5230.

• If you can’t live in your house, contact your insurer about temporary accommodation.

• Wait for your insurer to visit before undertaking any repairs.

• Don’t dispose of any damaged items you may want to claim on before your insurer has seen it.

PROPERTY INFORMATION

• Be sure to secure your property in a safe place, in particular any valuables, if your home is not occupied.

• If you no longer require tarpaulins for your property, please return them to your local fire station so they can be used again to help other people with property damage.

• Place any tornado debris in the rubbish skips in the Oakura Pony Club’s car park for disposal.

• Application forms to apply for assistance from the Taranaki Disaster Relief Fund will be available from the middle of the week from the Oakura Welfare Centre and district council offices.

FOOD SAFETY

With extended power cuts in some areas, residents should practice good food safety: • Eat perishable foods first. Perishable foods are foods that go off or spoil quickly, for example, bread and meat.

Frozen foods should be eaten last.

• Minimise food spoilage by only opening your fridge or freezer doors to take food out.

• Cook all food thoroughly.

• Cover all food with plastic wrap or store in waterproof containers.

• Store raw food (such as meat and poultry) below ready-to-eat foods to stop raw juices contaminating them.

• Leave bottles, cans of drink and water containers in the fridge to keep things cold.

• All rubbish containing food scraps must be protected from flies and rats by wrapping or putting in a sealed container.

• Throw out rotting or tainted food before it taints other food.

• If in doubt, throw it out.

PERSONAL WELFARE

• If anyone in a remote area requires assistance but has not contacted Taranaki Civil Defence or phoned the emergency welfare number, please do so.

• The Oakura Welfare Centre will be open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, and from 10am to 2pm and 4.30pm to 6pm on Monday and Tuesday. The opening times will be reassessed daily after that.

• The welfare hotline is 0800 779 997, for people requiring assistance or who are under stress.

• To contact Taranaki Civil Defence, phone 0800 736 222 during the weekend and after hours during the week, or 758 1110 during working hours.

• If you have any medical concerns at all while your power is off you should ring your doctor or medical practitioner, or in the case of an emergency ring 111 for an ambulance.

• If you have lost power and have a specific medical need that makes you depend on power supply, please follow the back-up instructions provided by your usual health care team and contact them for further advice or support as required.

• If you need assistance with food for your family or you have other income problems due to the tornadoes, book an appointment at your local Work and Income office. Make contact with Work and Income through the welfare hotline on 0800 779 997.

• If you know of someone who is having trouble coping in the aftermath of the tornadoes, phone the welfare hotline 0800 779 997.

Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group is also asking residents in South Taranaki to continue to conserve water over the weekend while the reservoirs refill. If the water is discoloured, people should be sure to boil it before drinking it.

Skip bins will be available at Normaby School from Saturday afternoon for collection of debris from tornado debris during the clean up.

Powerco are still asking people to treat all power lines as being live at all times and to report downed lines on their 0800 phone number 0800 272 727.

If people need welfare assistance they should call the Emergency Welfare number, 0800 779 997.

ENDS

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