Our Mayor Len Salt has declared a pre-emptive declaration of emergency in our district, at 1:35pm this afternoon.

A state of emergency can be declared when there is an event that might cause loss of life or property, which cannot be dealt with by emergency services in the normal fashion.

“The reason I have done this is because we have an unfolding situation with vulnerable communities, vulnerable people and an emerging situation where we have the potential for land slips and further erosion that we need to manage,” Mayor Len says.

“The main area affected is the west coast, the Thames Coast, from Ruamahunga northward. By declaring a state of emergency we are empowering our agencies and our emergency support services and our staff to be able to manage this situation in a way that protects property and keeps people safe and out of harm’s way,” Mayor Len says.

The situation is “weather dependent and will depend to some degree on the extent to which the damage that has already been done by water and rainfall continues to make the hills and catchment areas vulnerable to further slips,” Mayor Len says.

“There is some rain expected over the weekend but we’re hoping for some fine weather to settle the situation down to some degree.

The east coast is less affected and can be accessed from the south, but the situation can change at short notice.

“Most people visiting and most of the residents of Thames-Coromandel District will not be aware there is a state of emergency in place. If you are out and about visiting, please keep up to date with road conditions and take care out there everyone,” our Mayor says.

What does this mean for the Coromandel?

During a state of emergency, emergency services are given additional power that will allow them to respond to and manage risk more efficiently. This can include evacuating people from at-risk areas and inspecting and accessing private property to assess or manage risk such as land slips or flooding.

It also means that our services have greater and more efficient access to national resources when we need it most.

Can I still travel throughout the Coromandel during a state of emergency?

Due to the dynamic nature of hazards around our district, we strongly discourage anyone from travelling around the district unless necessary.

Some of our local roads and State Highways are closed due to land slips with the potential for more closures in the coming days. Please visit www.tcdc.govt.nz/roads for an up-to-date list of closed and compromised roads.

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