Civil Defence and Emergency Management

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.

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 co-ordinating 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.

Stay informed

In the event of an emergency, you will find regular updates on the Waipā District Council Facebook page.

New Zealand Red Cross / Civil Defence app

Download the app from Google Play or the App Store.