Hurunui District Council is strengthening community resilience and preparedness as part of its Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) work, recognising that in rural areas, emergencies are not “if” but “when”.

An update presented to Council recently revealed the scope of work undertaken over the past six months.

A highlight was last month’s Hanmer Springs evacuation exercise, which saw over 100 responders, volunteers from the community, and community groups working together to successfully evacuate 120 people and check on 400 properties in just two hours.

Hurunui District Mayor Marie Black, who participated in the exercise, said what was achieved in Hanmer Springs showed the incredible power of community, “with locals taking the lead”.

Council provides training and support to community-based volunteers organised in nine teams across the district.

Allan Grigg, Emergency Management Officer for Hurunui District Council, said the members of these Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) manage local response operations within their communities, using local knowledge.

“The Hanmer evacuation demonstrated the value of this community-based training.”

The district is also enhancing its communications capability with Starlink satellite units to be rolled out, ensuring communities can stay connected when traditional networks fail.

Backing the work of the CERTs is the ongoing development of Emergency Operations Centre staff — trained Council officers who coordinate emergency responses. Over 40 staff members train monthly for the EOC, with two major exercises held a year.

Hurunui youth are also stepping up to build district-wide resilience. The Youth in Emergency Services (YES) Camp in April saw 19 young people mastering emergency skills under the guidance of experienced responders. They had an opportunity to put what they had learnt to the test in the final day exercise, locating, assessing and rescuing 25 “casualties”, including Mayor Black, in just 90 minutes in an earthquake scenario.

“Natural events are part of the landscape of rural life and it’s vital we ensure our communities are ready when an emergency happens,” Grigg said.

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