Eketahuna standing at the ready

Tararua Emergency Management is encouraging communities to take more responsibility for their own initial response during a Civil Defence event. FILE PHOTO

Eketahuna can claim to be "ready" with their own Civil Defence response team, with Pahiatua and Woodville to follow.

Tararua Emergency Management is encouraging communities to take more responsibility for their own initial response during a Civil Defence event by facilitating the creation of Community Civil Defence Response Groups.

These groups organise themselves into a formal organisation and create a plan for their individual communities to ensure that they are ready when the big event happens.

Eketahuna put their community plan into action during the January 2014 earthquake.

Council provides advice and training if required, however it is solely up to the community as to how they operate.

To date, Eketahuna, Norsewood, Pahiatua, Akitio, and Woodville have either formed groups or are in the process of doing so.

Dannevirke, being a larger town, is expected to have a number of community groups within its boundaries.