5am Update

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has been responding to a small number of 111 calls for assistance as a result of the weather across parts of the North Island.

Director of Operations Brendan Nally says that, as at 5am, crews have responded to twelve incidents related to Cyclone Vaianu, none of them life-threatening. Most of the incidents are related to the winds, with fallen trees affecting property and roofs lifting. In addition, Fire and Emergency assisted Civil Defence and Police with precautionary evacuations from coastal areas in Northland and Bay of Plenty during the day yesterday.

Enhanced rescue teams remain pre-positioned in Whangarei, Auckland, Rotorua, Tairawhiti, and Coromandel to support local fire brigades.

Fire and Emergency’s National Coordination Centre is activated, along with its Region Coordination Centres in Auckland and Tauranga.

The next update will be around 7am, unless there is a significant change. The updates will also be on the news page of our website www.fireandemergency.nz.

If you wish to check details of a particular incident or arrange an interview, please contact Fire and Emergency’s national media team by emailing media@fireandemergency.nz. We will do our best to provide timely responses. We can also be reached on 027 591 8837.

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