From Civil Defence – Tuesday 10 December

Plans are still on track for a convoy to leave Franz Josef at 1400 hours today. Those that are intending to be part of this convoy need to ensure that they have registered their vehicle and themselves at the Community Centre prior to assembling, the registration process is already underway so please make your way to undertake this task ASAP

Media Release 6 –
Heavy Rain Event West Coast
8 December 2019
1700 hours
West Coast Heavy Rain Event

Rain Event

Press Release No. 2

West Coast Severe Weather Event

West Coast Civil Defence Emergency Management has practical advice for our residents in the aftermath of the recent heavy rain event.

A Community Information Centre has been established at the I-Site in Hokitika if you would like to ask about further assistance, or if you need assistance with emergency accommodation.

Reminder: All those who have evacuated are asked to register at the Hokitika I-Site centre.

See below for our latest media release. 

Media Update 7

28 March 2019 0945 hours

West Coast Severe Weather Event

A state of emergency remains in place for the Westland District due to the effects of the severe weather event.

The West Coast Emergency Co-ordination Centre (ECC) and Westland Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) will remain operational today.

Residents who are concerned about flooded properties should contact the Westland District Council to arrange an assessment.

The Westland District Council Emergency Operations Centre will stand down after the 1500 briefing.

The weather situation and river conditions are improving. Local roads are open. SH6 from Hokitia to Franz Joseph reopened at 1400. South of Franz Joseph SH 6 is open but drivers should be extremely cautious.

0930 09/11/18

Update from the Westland District Council Emergency Operations Centre
State Highway 6 from Hokitika to Fox Glacier is CLOSED due to surface flooding until further notice. Update 3pm.

NZTA have advised that SH73 Jacksons to Springfield is CLOSED due to a washout on the Goat Creek Bridge east of Otira. Update 5pm.

Some local roads are currently closed due to surface flooding but are expected to open this morning as the flooding recedes.

On Wednesday night Westland Mayor Bruce Smith and Grey Mayor Tony Kokshoorn alongside Westland District Council CEO Simon Bastion and the West Coast Civil Defence team met USAR at their Base of Operations(BoO) to learn more about their setup, how they operate and also how our two agencies coordinated our response during completion of our interdependent exercises.

Thoughts on Preparing for an Emergency

By Jim Butzbach

One of the hardest things about a Civil Defence emergency is that you can’t just give up in the middle of it. Your living situation may be uncomfortable for an extended period of time and you have to find the mental resilience to deal with that. One strategy that works quite well is to set yourself a challenge and a few goals each day to help keep you focussed.

Of course – having supplies on hand to take care of your most basic needs is essential.

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