Multi-agency response to storm aftermath gathers pace
Published on 05 February 2023
Image: Just of few of our Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) staff on the job. EOC staff are council staff from TCDC and now from across the region as the emergency response continues.
People from a huge array of local, regional and national agencies and community groups are coordinating to get the Coromandel back up and fully functioning, and to keep communities at threat from further land slips safe.
Our Council’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Thames continues to operate, with staff from our Council who have been working hard out for days augmented by peers from neighbouring councils. Much of this effort is taking place behind the scenes, unnoticeable to most visitors and residents.
All roads into and around the Coromandel are currently open with the exception of the Tapu-Coroglen Road and SH25A (Kōpū-Hikuai Road). See our website for further details.
“I’d like to express my thanks and that of the community to our Council roading contractor Ventia and Waka Kotahi’s contractor Higgins – and all the sub-contractors pulled in to help – for the incredible job that they have done, not just in getting the Thames Coast Road open in amazing time, but for all the other work they are doing in getting the slips cleared. The community is deeply grateful for all their efforts,” says our Mayor Len.
As the emergency response gathers pace, here’s a snapshot of who’s doing what:
- Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) officers have been operating drones and GIS mapping equipmment to closely examine land movement and debris flows that may be at threat
- GNS Science geotech experts in slope stability have been up in aircraft to looking for areas of possible risk, across the entire district
- Waikato Regional Council has been on the ground and in the air identifying and assessing areas of risk in the water catchments; they are also providing technical expertise on how to best manage the risks identified
- The Defence Force has liaison staff with our Emergency Operations Centre and has put a team on an enhanced level of readiness, to enable their short-notice deployment into our district.
- Department of Conservation have deployed staff to assist in intelligence gathering and also delivering Hauraki Māori Trust Board kai drops to isolated communities
- Sandbag collection points are in place at our main centres
(Our Mayor Len Salt signed the emergency declaration at 1:35pm on Friday 3 February in the company of our Chief Executive Aileen Lawrie (seated to the left of Mayor Len) and Emergency Operations Centre staff.)
“The state of emergency declared on Friday gives our emergency services and agencies additional power that allows them to respond to and manage risk more efficiently,” says Mayor Len.
“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. By declaring a state of emergency, we are empowering our agencies, our emergency support services and our staff to be able to manage this situation in a way that keeps people safe and out of harm’s way, as well as protecting property. It also means that our services have greater and more efficient access to national resources when we need it most,” says Mayor Len.
Feeling overwhelmed?
The last few days have been really tough, it's okay to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. If you need some support, reach out to someone you trust and have a korero and a cuppa.
If you are on your own, you can text 1737 to speak to a trained counsellor or visit www.healthy.org.nz to access a range of different support services available.
Even if you feel fine, you never know who might just need a friendly smile, someone to talk to - so check on your neighbours and loved ones too.
Crowd-sourcing road damage information
Our Council staff and contractors have been busy clearing slips but beyond the immediate effects of the recent weather is underlying damage that occurs with the slow movement of the ground after the rain, as the ground water drops and the soil dries out. This is more difficult to assess.
To help the work of our Council in locating and assessing these faults please use our Request For Service system:
Images shared on social media may not make it to our Council, so please contact us directly.
If you do report an issue, photos are useful showing the site and scale of the issue. Pictures of cracks are not as useful unless you provide the location, such as the road name and nearest address or local landmark and you contact details in case we have any questions.
Please do not put yourself or others in harm’s way in providing photos.
We will inspect every site reported and prioritise work according to its severity and impact on the community. We may not carry out repairs as quickly as we would normally like to as we have an ever-increasing workload as more damage is reported, but if the problem is getting worse please let us know.
Our roading teams are working to keep the roads open and repair the damage, but we need your help to identify all the issues.
For State Highways, keep an eye on the Waka Kotahi website or contact 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).
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