30 October 2017

Flood awareness campaign in Queenstown and Wanaka this week

Businesses located close to the lake in Queenstown and Wanaka will be getting a refresher on the risk of flooding this week, as Otago Regional Council (ORC), Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) and Emergency Management Otago (EMO) team up for their annual flood awareness campaign.

Low-lying parts of the Queenstown and Wanaka CBDs are periodically affected by floods. Because of the regular turnover in local enterprises and their staff, the three organisations carry out annual visits to businesses, explaining the flood risk and providing advice and information on how to be prepared.

The team will be visiting businesses in the flood zone in both towns on Tuesday and Wednesday this week (31 October and 1 November).

They’ll be offering advice to business owners about how to access information and help, and prepare for a flood.

Staff will also be manning a marquee to talk about flooding at Earnslaw Park on Beach St in Queenstown noon - 4pm tomorrow and in Wanaka, on the corner of Ardmore Street and Helwick St, 9am – 1pm Wednesday.

ORC director engineering, hazards and science Gavin Palmer says this week’s campaign, as well as advising people on how they might be affected by a flood, will outline what they can do to minimise the impact on themselves and their business.

Emergency management officer for Wakatipu and Central Otago Trevor Andrews says, “We have a lot of practical information on flooding in the area, and residents generally have several days’ notice before flooding is likely to take place here, so the more they know how to prepare, the better placed they will be to reduce the impact.”

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