Civil Defence and Emergency Management
Cyclone Gabrielle
Power Outages:
With increased calls to Council regarding power outages, we would like to remind residents that they need to contact Waipa Networks on 07 870 2000 to report issues or faults.
Waipa Networks has been working to restore power as safely and efficiently as possible, and still has many outages on their network to attend too.
For the most up to date information on Waipa Networks, faults and outages please visit their website waipanetworks.co.nz or their Facebook page @waipanetworks.
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11 February 2023:
Cyclone Gabrielle is heading toward the central North Island and is expected to bring strong winds, heavy rain and large swells from Sunday 12 February onwards.
Storms can trigger landslides, floods, fallen trees and power outages.
Civil Defence is urging people to take action to get your whānau and your household ready,
- have a grab bag in case you need to evacuate
- create a household emergency plan if you don’t have one already
- keep and eye on Metservice and Civil Defence on social media
- have enough supplies for three days
- check on your neighbours
- stay out of harm’s way by running important errands before the weather hits so you won’t need to do any non-essential travel
Visit https://getready.govt.nz/en/emergency/storms/ for more information about how to get ready for severe weather.
Local Civil Defence information will be issued by your local Civil Defence Emergency Management Group. To find yours, visit www.civildefence.govt.nz/find-your-civil-defence-group/
For the latest weather information, visit www.metservice.com
About Civil Defence
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and storms can strike at any time, sometimes without warning. All disasters have the potential to cause disruption, damage property and take lives.
A disaster could disrupt essential services like roads, electricity, telecommunications and water, and effect your ability to travel or communicate.
You may be confined to your home, or forced to evacuate your neighbourhood. In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, emergency services will not be able to get help to everyone as quickly as needed.
This is when you are likely to be most vulnerable so it is important to plan to look after yourself and your loved ones for at least three days or more in the event of a disaster.
For information about emergency preparation and planning we recommend you visit getthru.govt.nz.
Stay informed
In the event of an emergency, you will find regular updates on the Waipā District Council Facebook page.
You can also follow our Civil Defence Twitter channel to get emergency updates in an activated response.
New Zealand Red Cross / Civil Defence app
Download the Hazards - Red Cross app from Google Play or the App Store.
Get Civil Defence ready at getready.govt.nz/en/emergency
Civil Defence in the Waipā
The Waipā district is generally sheltered from most natural disasters, although there is an ever-present risk of localised flooding.
The Waikato River is largely controlled by the dams, but the Waipā River is uncontrolled which can cause tributary streams to back up and cause localised flooding. Wind is another danger for our district with several isolated cyclones hitting the area in recent years.
Should the Mayor declare a state of Civil Defence Emergency, the appointed Civil Defence Controller will then be responsible for coordinating services such as fire, police and ambulance in the response effort.
Should the emergency escalate and affect other districts, there will most likely be a Regional state of Civil Defence Emergency declared for the entire area by the Waikato Emergency Management Group.
Civil Defence Centres
In an emergency, Civil Defence Centres provide assistance for people who have been displaced or affected by an emergency situation. See below for a list of centres in Waipa.
Cambridge
- Cambridge Raceway
- Hautapu Sports & Recreation Club
- Raleigh Street Christian Centre
- Leamington Rugby Sports Clubs
- Cambridge Community Marae
- Mighty River Domain, Karapiro
Te Awamutu
Pirongia
Bring with you any essential items you may need, e.g. medication, warm clothing, and baby items.
Civil Defence Mobile Alerts:
For more information on Emergency Mobile Alert and to see if your phone is capable of receiving the alerts, visit Emergency Mobile Alert — Get Ready — Emergency preparedness in New Zealand.
What you need to know:
- No need to subscribe. You don’t need to sign up or download an app. Just make sure your phone is on and capable of receiving an alert, and your operating system is up to date. You can find out whether your phone can receive the alerts at:
https://getready.govt.nz/en/prepared/stay-informed/emergency-mobile-alert/capable-phones/.
- Works by geo-targeting. Emergency Mobile Alerts can also be targeted to affected areas, so you will only get them if the emergency is in your area. Sunday’s test alert will be sent to all areas in New Zealand with mobile coverage.
- You can’t opt out. As Emergency Mobile Alert is about keeping you safe, you won’t be able to opt-out. Your phones may show optional settings used in other countries, but in New Zealand we will use a special broadcast channel that is permanently on.
- Who can send an alert? Emergency Mobile Alert messages can only be sent by the National Emergency Management Agency, Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups, NZ Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry for Primary Industries. Alerts will only be sent when there are serious threats to life, health and property, and, like this month, for test purposes.
- Don’t ditch the radio. Emergency Mobile Alert is an additional channel to help keep people ni New Zealand safe in an emergency and does not replace other alerting channels such as radio, television, websites and social media, or the need to take action after natural warnings. If you feel your life may be in danger, don’t wait for an official warning. Take immediate action. Remember – Long or strong, get gone.
- What if I’m driving? If you are driving when you receive an alert, wait until it is safe to stop and then check the message.
- Make a plan. Take the time to make your own emergency plan which includes what to do, where to go, who can help you and who might need your help. You can make a plan online at https://getready.govt.nz/plan/.
Find out more about Emergency Mobile Alerts at https://getready.govt.nz/prepared/stay-informed/emergency-mobile-alert.
Helplines
Waikato Regional response - Visit the Waikato Region Emergency Management website here
