Council joins national Emergency Management exercise

The lights were on early at the Far North District Council’s Kaikohe headquarters on 14 October, as a handful of dedicated staff arrived in the dark for Exercise Pacific Wave.

Responding to a phone alert just after 5am, the 21-strong team joined councils around the country in an Emergency Management scenario coordinated by NEMA (the National Emergency Management Agency).

The training exercise asked participants to pretend that a tsunami, of a scale never seen in this country, was due on New Zealand shores within hours.

Ruben Garcia, the council’s Group Manager - Community and Engagement, says, “Our team was asked to imagine an event that would impact 783,000 people in evacuation zones nationwide, including many of our Far North communities.

“We were up to the challenge, working as part of the national response by coordinating with other Northland councils to work out the communication, logistical and welfare needs of a mass evacuation.

“Councils often coordinate Emergency Management efforts at regional and district levels during a national crisis, so exercises like this are essential.”

Ruben says it was also a great opportunity for Far North staff to familiarise themselves with new emergency management software. “The D4H software allows us to gather and assess a situation quickly, responding to community needs as they arise.”

He says responses to any type of emergency can be coordinated through D4H’s centralised command platform, which provides real-time visibility of developments through live dashboards, mapping, situation reports and activity tracking.

“While this was a simulation, it helped strengthen our skills and knowledge, so we’re ready to support our communities when a real crisis strikes.”

Keep an eye on our website for more information about how we can all prepare at home in case of an emergency.

Image: Planet fox for Pixabay.