Auckland disaster readiness plan given a shakeup

Overseas disasters have have drawn attention to Auckland's readiness to handle events such as volcanic eruptions. Computer-created image / Brandspank.com

Auckland's regional civil defence system is being overhauled after criticism of its readiness to handle a disaster.

An assessment by Kestrel Group consultants found the main deficiencies were the lack of reliable communications and warning capabilities.

The report was commissioned by the region's emergency management group, which has 50 members from local authorities, emergency services and other agencies.

Management group chairman Neil Morrison said the frank assessment was the first sought by civil defence managers in New Zealand and a programme of improving the regional plan was under way.

"We have done an exhaustive process of navel-gazing and now we have plans and must build more capacity," said Mr Morrison.

He said the management group had built up a large pool of knowledge and experience. "If there was a catastrophe we could handle it."

The report says major overseas disasters - the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in the United States last year - have drawn public attention to the adequacy or otherwise of New Zealand's readiness.

The influence of these disasters, as well as New Zealand events such as the Lower North Island floods (February 2004), Matata debris flow (last May) and the Bay of Plenty floods (July 2004) has focused civil defence managers on their likely performance.

The assessors drew on key points of failure in disasters that resulted in avoidable loss of life and economic losses, embarrassed community leaders and people being unsure what to do.

Last December the Auckland management group conducted Exercise Jaffa, involving an imaginary cyclone with waves of 4.5m to 8m. In May, Exercise Pacific Wave Tsunami looked at evacuating people to at least 35m above sea level.

An evaluation of Exercise Jaffa by Admiral Fred Wilson found it was not at a satisfactory standard.

A critique of the group's performance in the May tsunami evacuation exercise was given by consultant Steve McDowell, who was the Matata disaster recovery coordinator.

He said the coordinating executive group showed effective capability, competency and capacity. But the exercise showed Auckland struggled with evacuation management and needed a group evacuation plan.

Information systems also needed new technology.

Emergency management office manager Jim Stephens said that compared with the Exercise Jaffa criticisms, the tsunami exercise showed "demonstrable improvements" in the executive's operation and development of staff.

The Kestrel Group report saw a need for a reliable communications capability to alert public officials and emergency workers, warn the public and effectively manage a response.

The report said there was not a clear understanding of the need for resources necessary to respond to events such as a tsunami.

Surveys of agencies showed mass evacuation plans could support 24,420 people on average, and would take on average at least 12 hours to bring into action. Only one agency responded to a question on whether they had a mass casualty plan - and that was for a maximum of 230 people.

The recent power cut highlighted weakness in some organisations' ability to operate generators.

Eight out of 33 agencies said they had a back-up generator and fuel at the emergency centre to power all equipment for at least five days.

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey said the Kestrel report showed much work needed to be done.

"It shows that regionally there needs to be much better coordination as well as more training for emergency response personnel."