A drone team of three from Fire and Emergency New Zealand is currently carrying out a Rapid Assessment of the impact heavy rain is having on the West Coast.

The team is part of Fire and Emergency’s Southern Urban Search and Rescue Task Force and was deployed from Christchurch to the West Coast at the request of West Coast Civil Defence.

The team of two drone operators and one spotter will be monitoring and mapping rivers, bridges and floodplains from Hokitika to Buller over the next three days, and making rapid disaster assessments of the heavy rain’s impact.

The Fire and Emergency NZ USAR capability is made up skilled people from inside and outside the organisation, and from around the country. It specialises in heavy urban search and rescue capability at home and internationally. As with the drone team now on the West Coast, USAR also provides specialist assistance to disaster response teams.

ENDS

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