Brown said finalising the group plan will be an “urgent priority” and has advised outgoing chief executive Jim Stabback that he will hold an unscheduled real-time drill to test the council’s preparedness for a large-scale civil defence emergency before October 13.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. Photo / Jed Bradley
During the first 12 hours of the response to January’s deadly floods, a “system failure” of leadership occurred, and “much of the damage was done” before the council or Brown had taken any action, according to the investigation.
The review, commissioned by the mayor three days after the record-breaking downpour on January 27, was done by former police commissioner Mike Bush and delivered yesterday in a press conference at the council’s city centre headquarters.
Bush also confirmed the report’s original $100,000 price tag had increased after being delayed from its original March 3 delivery date.
Slavko Snjegota outside his Belmont home after flooding hit Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Four people died during the January 27 downpour in Auckland, which began in the afternoon.
Brown said it was “simply unacceptable” emergency management roles and delegations were unclear.
“These failures were made worse by the fact that no specific contingency plans for flood and superstorm events existed prior to 27 January,” Brown said.
“While I acknowledge that the problems identified by Mr Bush are systemic, and not the fault of any individual, it is the responsibility of senior management to ensure that Auckland Emergency Management is fixed and ready for the next event.”
“It is my expectation that the system will be prepared.”
In an interview with Newstalk ZB’s Jack Tame, Brown claimed he was left in the dark on the night.
“I noted in the report that at 10 past six that night the public services managers noted that the media will not be fronted by the mayor but instead by the Auckland Emergency Management general manager,” he said.
“I did apologise for dropping the ball but I never had the ball passed to me.”
Brown told Newstalk ZB he assumed people knew what they were doing.
“I was waiting around to be informed by the emergency management staff what was happening, but it turned out that we weren’t,” he said.
The Bush report covered the 48-hour period from January 27, but was weighted to the first 12 hours of the event response.
“This unprecedented event unfolded with extraordinary speed. Minutes mattered,” the report said.
“From the time Auckland Council emergency managers stood up an incident team at 4.30pm on that Friday to the end of that team’s first virtual meeting at 6.15pm, much of the damage was done.
“The later declaration of emergency, establishment of evacuation centres and related public messaging came too late to provide Aucklanders with timely public safety advice and reassurance.”
Review key findings:
The council’s emergency management system was unprepared for an event of this magnitude and speed.
Senior leaders underestimated the importance of the need to be visible, which hampered communications and public confidence.
There were poor communications in the critical early stages between key players at the council, including the mayor, Civil Defence and Emergency Committee chairwoman Sharon Stewart, chief executive Jim Stabback and emergency management staff.
The emergency management team appeared to lack the command, crisis and leadership skills to cope with the event.
The council knew it had to be prepared for a super-storm emergency before January 27, but it remained a work in progress.
The move to Super City planning for emergencies contributed to a bias that its size and systems could handle anything.
Rather than a model of central planning and local delivery, the council centralised planning and delivery where local knowledge could have supported communities better.
Among the report’s 17 recommendations were:
A separate, urgent review to examine AEM’s prevention, preparedness and planning for emergencies.
Ensure AEM members have the resources, training and capability for internal and external communications.
Conduct more emergency management exercises, including complex scenarios, with partner agencies and utilities and involving the mayoral office.
Hire more qualified emergency response staff, including experts in public information.
Develop a common IT system for emergencies with partner agencies to share information and improve real-time communications and decision-making.
Establish strong relations with critical stakeholders, including mana whenua, Pasifika, community groups, infrastructure providers and lifeline agencies.
