20 December 2012

Update on tornado at Whenuapai and Hobsonville

This is the latest update summarising the situation in Auckland’s north-west following the tornado and severe weather at Whenuapai, Hobsonville and other parts of Auckland.

• 384 properties were damaged by the tornado.
• 89 properties had major damage
• 295 properties have had minor damage
• 50 properties have been repaired and families have returned to their homes, with a further 79 to be repaired by end of January 2013.
• 95 people registered for welfare support and assistance at the recovery centre.
• 123 people were provided with alternative emergency accommodation. One family still requires emergency accommodation.

Clive Manley, Auckland Civil Defence Controller is very pleased with the response and recovery efforts from everyone involved.

“It was great to see the strong relationships between all the groups involved, who worked together to coordinate our response and recovery,” he said.

“I would like to thank all the people from across the thirty-plus agencies and organisations that provided support and assistance to those affected by the tornado.”

“Communities banded together to help affected families. It was great to see the Christmas spirit truly alive.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>