Northland mayors have praised Civil Defence Northland's move. Photo / Michael Craig
Northland mayors have praised Civil Defence Northland's move. Photo / Michael Craig
While Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown cops flak for what critics say was a delayed decision to declare a state of emergency, Civil Defence Northland’s early decision received strong support from the region’s civic leaders.
Civil Defence Northland made the declaration yesterday afternoon as a pro-active move ahead of the forecasted downpours and severe gales expected to bear down on the region overnight.
The declaration allows Northland’s Civil Defence Emergency Management group the ability to co-ordinate other emergency services; ensure temporary accommodation, food and water are available; make sure access to dangerous areas is properly controlled and provide regular public information meetings.
Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said the early declaration of a state of emergency was a reasonable response, based on the information available.
“The main reason for this to happen now is, we need to make sure that powers that are delegated under this declaration can be actioned straight away. We are taking the direction from the Civil Defence Northland.”
Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said the decision to declare a state of emergency in Northland earlier was a sensible move. Photo / Susan Botting
His Kaipara counterpart Mayor Craig Jepson said Civil Defence Northland “probably” made the right decision as effective responses, if needed, could be arranged on time.
“I have sympathy for the call as the ground is already quite saturated, more slips could happen, and that’s why people are being asked to stay from the roads. However, a problem with rain events is they can be very localised.
“I’ve had calls from people in Dargaville who haven’t had rain for five hours, and the sky there is sky blue,” Jepson said.
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania was unavailable for comment.
It is the first time in almost 16 years that a state of emergency has been declared in Northland.
On July 10, 2007, emergency powers were invoked in the Far North after the district was hammered by its second major storm in five months.
Many areas received a month’s worth of rain in 12 hours, with Kāeo recording 273 millimetres in one day.
More than 80 homes were left uninhabitable, mostly around Awanui, Totara North, Kāeo, Matangirau, Pupuke and Whangaroa. More than a year later, 26 families were still homeless. That state of emergency lasted until July 13, 2007.
A state of national emergency was declared on March 25, 2020, but that applied to the whole country and was due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Concerns about the oncoming weather escalated on Sunday when MetService issued its first-ever red rain warning for Northland - an alert reserved for the most extreme weather events.
Far North Deputy Mayor Kelly Stratford, who chairs the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group, said the decision to declare a state of emergency had not been taken lightly.
Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management group chairwoman Kelly Stratford said the decision to declare a state of emergency had not been taken lightly. Photo / Supplied
Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) group controller Graeme MacDonald requested the emergency declaration that was signed by Stratford.
An Emergency Mobile Alert advising of the declaration has been sent to phones in Northland capable of receiving the alerts.
Civil Defence Northland said the declaration was not intended to cause concern within communities.
Stratford said CDEM had been monitoring the situation since last Wednesday, before Auckland declared its state of emergency.
“We know there’s a heightened state of uncertainty for people, especially after what happened in Auckland. We also want to ensure we have emergency powers that will allow us to evacuate premises, enter closed roads, and make people safe,” she said.
“We don’t know whether we will need to use these emergency powers, but given the potential of this rain, we may need them overnight. It is a precaution to make sure those powers are available if needed.”
St John has increased the number of ambulance crews in Kaitāia and has deployed its major incident support team, with additional medical supplies and resources in Northland.
The ambulance service is also working with the New Zealand Defence Force, has access to three Unimog vehicles for access to patients living in hard-to-reach places, and has supplied clinical personnel to support Urban Search and Rescue (Usar) teams deployed in the region.
