Wellington police support earthquake response

Wellington District police are supporting Civil Defence, Wellington City Council and other emergency services following the 6.5 magnitude earthquake which struck the Wellington region at 5.10pm today.

Police have assisted in evacuation of a number of buildings in the Wellington CBD and established cordons on streets where buildings need to be assessed.

Acting District Commander Superintendent Sue Schwalger says extra police staff from within Wellington district have been deployed in the city and police will retain a high profile presence in the CBD overnight.

“Police are working closely with Civil Defence and other emergency services as we assess the impact of tonight’s earthquake on the city.

A number of cordons will remain in place in the CBD overnight while building inspections are completed.

“This will obviously impact on the morning commute and we are asking non-emergency service workers to heed the advice from Wellington City Council and the Regional Emergency Management Office regarding travel to work in the CBD in the morning.

“There will be disruption to train services in the morning plus road closures in the CBD and police urge commuters to be patient.

“Police have resources available throughout Wellington District and we wish to reassure the community that police will continue to respond to emergency calls from the public across the district as normal.”

Information and advice is being updated at the Wellington City Council website www.wellington.govt.nz and also the Facebook page of the Wellington Regional Emergency Management office www.facebook/WREMOnz

Please also listen to your local radio station for updates on the latest situation.

ENDS

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