News briefs: Civil Defence response, human remains found, car fire, digital library

The Emergency Co-ordination Centre is providing Covid-19 information to regional agencies to help with local decisionmaking. Photo / Supplied

Civil Defence responds to Covid-19

The Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MWCDEM) Group has raised its activation level to respond to Covid-19, MWCDEM Group controller Ged Shirley says. The Emergency Co-ordination Centre (ECC), led by Horizons Regional Council, will provide regional co-ordination and support to relevant regional agencies dealing with Covid-19. While the Ministry of Health is the lead agency for a pandemic response, Civil Defence ensures all responding agencies are connected. Daily information from the National Crisis Management Centre will be passed on to local councils, district health boards, Ministry of Social Development and emergency services to assist with local decisions.

Police locate human remains

Human remains were found on Tuesday buried at a site off Rangipo Intake Rd, off the Desert Rd, after police received information which led them to have "grave fears" for a person. They had been carrying out a land search in the southern Bay of Plenty area since the beginning of this week. A post mortem will take place and it is expected to be some time before the formal identification process is completed.

Car fire at Erua

Fire and Emergency crews were called to a car on fire on State Highway 4 near Erua, south of National Park, early on Tuesday morning. Three fire engines attended the fire around 1.30am and firefighters were able to access the car off the highway. No one was in the vehicle and the fire was put out within half an hour. Police also attended and traffic control was put in place while fire crews worked at the scene. The circumstances of the fire are undetermined.

Free digital library services for all

Whanganui District Library is closed during the four-week lockdown but the library team is cranking up the digital library to provide people with free entertainment choices. The Kids Team will post suggestions and resources for keeping children occupied. People who aren't regular library users are invited to check out the resources as well. Visit www.whanganuilibrary.com or Whanganui District Library on Facebook.

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