Press Release

For immediate release

4 February 2009

Power outage causes business continuity concerns

Yesterday much of east Auckland experienced a short-term power outage, closing many businesses and turning away customers.

The overall vision of the New Zealand Government is a ‘Resilient New Zealand – Communities Understanding and Managing Their Hazards’. This means communities taking responsibility for assessing threats to their well-being and taking the necessary actions to reduce the impact of emergency events.

All people need to be able to look after themselves if they are affected by an emergency.

Harry O’Rourke, Group Controller for Auckland Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group said that a ‘resilient community’ meant all people and businesses taking responsibility for preparing themselves prior to an emergency no matter what the size or cause.

“Many people think that we are never going to face an emergency situation in Auckland,” said Mr O’Rourke.

“Emergencies come in all shapes and sizes, from short power outages, to large natural disasters like volcanoes. If people take a few simple precautions to prepare for large emergencies then small scale events will pose less of a problem. All Aucklanders need to ensure that they prepared,” said Mr O’Rourke.

“Yesterday’s power outage is good reminder that a well prepared business with a good business continuity plan will be better prepared to limit the disruption cause by an unexpected event whether it is a small power outage or a natural disaster”.

For business continuity information visit the Ministry of Civil Defence Emergency Management.

For more information contact your local council's Civil Defence office or phone 0800 22 22 00.

ENDS

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