Loading a helicopter with emergency supplies for families cut off by a slip in Nelson.
Managing emergencies such as tornadoes, floods, pandemics, and earthquakes is a job for local councils and many of Horowhenua District Council's staff have been shoulder tapped to train in case an emergency strikes.
Over the past few years they have had to put that experience into action a few times.
Recently a number have had a chance to practice their knowledge and skills by spending a week or two in Nelson and Marlborough after floods there.
Both Jaimee Brannigan and Linda Johnstone are experienced firefighters and while Jaime works in emergency management with her dad Ross Brannigan, who is also a district councillor, Linda is in charge of frontline services at the Levin library.
For Linda, the trip to Blenheim wasn't her first taste of reality as she was deployed in an earlier West Coast flood situation in July last year in Westport.
She's found the trip rewarding.
"You meet people at their lowest point and the fact that you are able to help them and lift their spirits is good for the soul," she said.
She worked in the welfare planning section, which meant she was able to help people find alternative housing, clothing, food and prescriptions as well as helping their pets.
"We do assessments of each person's situation and then take them to the logistics section where there are people who can get them what they need."
Linda spent 16 years with the fire service in Waitarere Beach as a volunteer.
Each section of the emergency team has its own task and vest colour, so it is easy to find whoever you need for the next step, she said.
Jaimee said emergency management services have a contract with the local council to help out when needed.
She has been involved with the fire service in Foxton Beach for the past eight years.
It appears being a volunteer firefighter is good preparation for involvement in emergency management, though when you get a job at council you may be roped in anyway.
The local team train regularly so they are ready for emergencies here, but there is nothing like the real thing, said Jaimee and Linda.
Horowhenua has had its share of emergencies in the past 2.5 years, from Covid management to floods and a tornado, when the team gets activated and stands by ready to do what is needed.
Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) is arguably the most important service a Council can provide to its community.
Brent Harvey is the Civil Defence Emergency Management – Local Controller.
According to Harvey, Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) is arguably the most important service a council can provide to its community.
"It is also the one service we hope we never need.
"It's comforting to know that in the Horowhenua we have a team of highly skilled people that are available to call on if and when required.
''Our Civil Defence Emergency Management team work with emergency services, community groups and organisations, government agencies and other councils within the region, via our Emergency Management Committee, to ensure that we as a community are prepared."
Since 2019 Horowhenua has had 11 significant emergency management events, including :
· Gladstone Road Slip – July 2019
· Levin Flooding – August 2019
· COVID-19 – Responses One, Two, Three, Four, Five – from March 2020
· Rainfall Event – June 2021
· Tornado – May 2022
· Waitārere Flooding – July 2022
· Bledisloe Street Police Event – August 2022
"It is not always necessary to 'activate' the CDEM Incident Management team, so often times the team are on standby, and will respond in a reduced capacity with public communications, to ensure the community is aware of any situation that may eventuate into something more serious.
"For the year ending 30 June 2022, Horowhenua District Council distributed more than 26 Media Releases, 95 COVID-19 media messages and 79 Emergency Management media across social channels,'' Harvey said.
In case of an emergency a local team gets called up and if they need more help the calls goes out to other teams around the country for additional staff.
Each region has its own emergency operations centre and the recent floods in Nelson and Marlborough involved at least 100 people in the teams on the ground, which also included FENZ, NEMA, police, defence force, and the Red Cross.
Training for emergency management starts with a foundation course, followed by specific training for certain tasks, such as welfare, information, planning, and logistics, followed by more courses for specialised roles, such as intelligence.
Each team and each person within the team know what they have to do once their involvement starts.
Horowhenua is part of the Whanganui/Manawatū Management Group.
There is a national framework for dealing with emergencies of any scale, putting people at its heart, which can be adapted to circumstances.
For example the country's response to MBovis has been running for three years.
The framework and training for an emergency response is the same everywhere, so it is relatively easy to slot into a team anywhere, though "lack of local knowledge can make our work harder," said Linda.
Jaimee had the opportunity to take a helicopter flight into the Whangamoas to drop off much needed supplies to families totally isolated there, while Linda witnessed horrific landslides, some of which moved houses down a hill and on to the road below, blocking all traffic.
"In Marlborough the slips created carnage, while in Nelson people waded through water sometimes up to their waists. There are many unstable hills in Marlborough, due to the excessive rainfall in the last year."
Each deployment lasts seven days and that includes two days of travel.
"It is an amazing feeling to be able to help and we saw many happy tears from people who were able to go home after a while.
"We experienced the force of flood water. It doesn't slowly build it. It comes in a big rush and moves large, heavy items like cars and filled chest freezer metres down the road.
"I am grateful to the council for allowing me to do this again," said Linda.
"I'd be happy to go again any time. It is great hands-on experience to take home and it helps build relationships with people from other regions."
Both said these experiences are helpful and will be useful when something happens in Horowhenua and they need to step up.
"You also get to know people from other regions and the fact that we help them not only aids our understanding.
''It also means those we have helped in the past will one day be coming here to help us."
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