Civil Defence evacuation exercise

3 April 2014

A neighbourhood was evacuated by Civil Defence to allow Taupō District Council's response team the opportunity to test out its skills and processes.

The evacuation also acted as a chance for the neighbourhood to learn about emergencies, how to be prepared and the role of Civil Defence.

The exercise took place in Grace Crescent, Ward Place and Reid Grove on Monday. A total of 55 residents from 52 houses in the neighbourhood were evacuated by Civil Defence staff, who visited each house and told people to evacuate to a nearby welfare centre.

At the welfare centre, residents signed in and were given information on how to be prepared. Emergency manager Phil Parker said the residents also got a chance to chat to their neighbours, helping to foster good relationships which would be useful should disaster strike.

"Everyone who got involved was committed to what we were trying to achieve and it was great to see such enthusiasm for Civil Defence and being prepared," Mr Parker said.

The Civil Defence team would analyse the event to ensure the processes in place were appropriate. Mr Parker said they had received requests from other neighbourhoods to do a similar exercise, and there were plans to do this in the future.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lisa Nairne Communications Manager 07 376 0762 027 839 8410

Vicki Waterhouse Communications Advisor 07 376 0718 027 484 2549

Taupo District Council