Taranaki CDEM is in the recovery phase of the June 20-21 heavy rain and flooding event.
The Taranaki CDEM Group continues to work alongside response and lifeline agencies to begin the recovery from the disaster, and the immediate and critical needs of households and communities affected by the flooding will be met for as long as necessary.
Transition to recovery
Although the declaration of a state of local emergency expired at 9pm on Saturday 27 June, welfare responses continue for people and communities affected by the recent flooding.
The Taranaki CDEM Group has begun the transition from the response to recovery phase and a process is under way to develop recovery work into the future.
A range of recovery actions are already motion across all agencies and sectors.
Summary of response to date
Households were evacuated from Waitotara at the height of the flooding and a Civil Defence Centre was established at the Waitotara Hotel. The centre is still open to assist Waitotara residents and anyone else who requires information and support.
Response work focused on undertaking helicopter drops to isolated households in the Waitotara and eastern hill country valleys to provide necessary food, water, medical supplies, generators and other essentials, and in some cases evacuate children and other vulnerable people
Public health officials have been checking the safety of water for drinking purposes, and assessing damage to buildings.
District councils and their contractors have been clearing slips and managing effects on water and wastewater operations.
Both national and local roads and the railway line from Marton to Hawera were affected at the height of the flooding. Some bridges in the region have been extensively damaged and alternative access has been or is being created.
Other utility providers have worked to reconnect cellphone communications and power coverage to isolated Waitotara households.
The Waiinu Beach community is still isolated due to access issues.
The Silver Fern Farms Waitotara plant has been shut down for an extended period due to lack of access.
Information is still being gathered and collated as to people and households still requiring support, necessary repairs of housing and other infrastructure, impacts on farmers and the farming sector, final economic impacts and costs of the disaster and recovery needs.
Recovery
Recovery is defined in the CDEM Act 2002 as, ‘coordinated efforts and processes to effect the immediate, medium and long term holistic regeneration of a community following a disaster’.
Recovery is a process that:
- Aims to minimise the consequences of the disaster.
- Regenerates the overall well-being of individuals and communities affected.
- Provides opportunities to adapt for the future needs of the social, economic, natural and built environments.
- Seeks to reduce future exposure to the hazards experienced.
Recovery workplan
The Recovery Manager for the Taranaki CDEM Group, Craig Campbell-Smart, is managing forward-planning for the recovery process.
He is speaking to the National Recovery Manager (Civil Defence and Emergency Management), Rural Recovery Manager (Ministry of Primary Industries), Mayors and CEOs of local councils, welfare, health and rural advisory groups and the Rural Support Trust, affected iwi, and lifelines and other agencies that have response and recovery responsibilities.
Mr Campbell-Smart has implemented four sector task groups to lead the recovery:
- Social (welfare, farming and health).
- Economic.
- Natural (flooding infrastructure).
- Built environment (roading and utilities) sectors.
The task groups will be in charge of making sure that recovery actions are under way and will be completed.
Recovery reports will be provided each week for two weeks (3 and 10 July), and reporting will then occur on a monthly basis (10 August and 10 September).
Authorised by Civil Defence Recovery Manager Craig Campbell-Smart