Coastal and isolated communities in Wairarapa will be better placed to respond to emergency events following the donation of resources from the Wairarapa Recovery Office (WRO).
The donated resources were funded by central government following Cyclone Gabrielle last year, and include shipping containers with essential supplies and equipment to help isolated communities manage in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
“The donated resources are designed to assist isolated and coastal Wairarapa communities in the initial days following an emergency, when they may be cut off and have limited access to emergency services,” said WRO Programme Manager Simon Taylor.
“This initiative is part of an ongoing combined council programme to build community resilience, and equip and resource communities for future disasters following last year’s extreme weather events.”
WRO, district councils and the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) have been working with communities on the location and contents of the emergency containers, alongside wider emergency preparedness activities.
Riversdale Beach is among the locations identified for a container. Riversdale Beach Community Association Chair Marquerite Vierstraete-Williams said the donated resources were a welcome addition to the work the community had been doing, as part of the Riversdale Beach Community Plan, to prepare for future emergency events.
“Having community-based resources provides some peace of mind that we have essential supplies and equipment on hand for when the next disaster happens. The donated resources will help ensure we can respond as a community and support each other when these occur.”
Emergency containers and resources have been donated to seven other communities in the Wairarapa, including Flat Point in the Carterton district. Flat Point community committee representative Sue McColl said the community was grateful for the donated supplies.
“As an isolated community, we’re aware of the need to be self-sufficient during the initial days following an emergency event. These resources will assist us to be more resilient and ‘get through’ until additional emergency support is available.”
Mr Taylor said resources have also been donated to some community halls and marae in the region to better equip them as facilities in an emergency. The donated resources include water tanks, defibrillators (AEDs), and solar and battery back-up for situations when the power supply is disrupted.
“The better our communities are prepared and resourced for emergency events, the better they will manage after a disaster, and the quicker they will recover.”
Following gifting ceremonies to formally handover the resources for community ownership, ongoing emergency preparedness and resilience support and training will be provided by WREMO. WREMO Community Resilience and Recovery Manager Dan Neely said rural and isolated communities often face unique challenges during emergencies and opportunities to build resilience are vital.
“For our rural and other isolated communities in the Wairarapa, community-owned initiatives like this are a great example of building resilience for emergency events.”
Photo: Representatives from the Wairarapa Recovery Office, Wellington Region Emergency Management Office, Riversdale Beach Community Association and Masterton District Council, including Deputy Mayor Bex Johnson (fourth from left), with the container of emergency resources that has been donated to the Riversdale Beach community.
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