20 December 2011

Canterbury teams supporting Nelson-Tasman flood response

Canterbury Civil Defence Emergency Management personnel are actively supporting their colleagues managing the response to state of emergency in Nelson-Tasman.

The Canterbury Regional Emergency Management Office (EMO) has been working with National Crisis Management Centre since last Wednesday.

The first composite response team, made up of three members from Christchurch City teams, two from Waimakariri district, and two from the regional team travelled to Takaka on Sunday and should return on Wednesday.

The second team went to Nelson on Monday to help with safety and community needs assessment as land continues to move in the Nelson area.

Canterbury Regional Emergency Management Office staff and Hurunui District Council CDEM Welfare Manager left on Thursday, as an emergency support team to fill the roles as EOC Manager, logistics managers and welfare management team roles in the Nelson Tasman EOC.

The NZ Fire Service has also deployed an Executive Support Team of two Canterbury-based personnel to Nelson Tasman. Canterbury-based Red Cross Response Team members have also played a significant role in meeting community needs in the wake of the floods, as part of a national Red Cross response into Nelson Tasman.

Canterbury CDEM Group Controller, Neville Reilly, says “This is an excellent example of the regionally-based, collaborative approach to emergency management introduced with the CDEM Act 2002.”

“The process of identifying needs for out-of-region resources, and requesting them through the National Crisis Management Centre and the 15 other regional CDEM Groups, was refined during the recent earthquake responses. In Nelson’s case, it has been very effective and we have been able to respond quickly in areas where help is needed most.’’

“Canterbury people are grateful to have the opportunity to be able to return some of the tremendous assistance we received from the rest of the country during the earthquake responses over the past year.”

Updates on the deployment are being posted on the Canterbury CDEM Group website:
www.cdemcanterbury.govt.nz

ENDS

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