Two containers of emergency resources to help with first steps after a disaster have been located near Ngawi and Lake Ferry – shortly after Tora became the first coastal settlement to host one “above the tsunami line.”
The containers hold a basic starter kit to help the first steps of recovery after an emergency event.
Contents include a “starter kit” for initial recovery work, like shovels, hammers and other tools, shelter marquees, key medical supplies, batteries as power back-up, resources for establishing basic radio communicaions, water containers and sanitary materials.
The recovery containers’ initiative follows review after the wreckage of cyclones Gabrielle and Hale and will provide support after an emergency, such as a cyclone, severe storm, tsunami or earthquake.
“The aim is to support remote rural communities straight after an emergency when they may be cut off and have restricted access to emergency services and supplies,” said Wairarapa Recovery Office programme manager, Simon Taylor.
The better a community is prepared and resourced for an emergency, the better it will manage after a disaster and the quicker it will recover, he added.
Chairperson of the Cape Palliser Residents and Ratepayers Association, Donna Fenwick, expressed thanks for the use of land to house one of the containers.
“We are very fortunate to have had the use of the land out of the tsunami zone made available to us by the Kawakawa 1D2 Trust,” she said.
The three containers donated to South Wairarapa communities are among seven provided across the
wider Wairarapa region by WRO with funding from central government.
“Providing our remote communities with the emergency containers brings reassurance as well as important equipment and resources for emergency situations to people who could be isolated in extreme weather events or natural disasters,” Councillor Aidan Ellims said.
Training for ongoing emergency preparedness and resilience support is to be provided by Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office in conjunction with South Wairarapa District Council.
