Whanganui emergency management officer helps East Coast communities after floods

Whanganui District Council emergency management officer Anthony Edwards (left) in Gisborne with (from right) Dr Axel Malecki (Manawatū District Council policy adviser), Angela Mentzer (Hawke’s Bay Emergency Management Group capability development adviser) and Nick Galpin (Manawatū District Council senior emergency management adviser).

Anthony Edwards is “constantly training” for the next major weather event.

Last month, the Whanganui District Council emergency management officer joined Tairāwhiti Civil Defence’s emergency co-ordination centre (ECC) team as operations manager.

A state of emergency was declared on January 21 after the Gisborne region was hit by severe flooding.

“When I got there, we were tasked with getting food supplies, PPE [personal protective equipment] and medical gear to isolated communities,” Edwards said.

“Roads were still pretty much buggered.”

Edwards is part of NZ Civil Defence’s emergency management assistance team (EMAT).

“It’s about finding out locations and working with locals in the area, that’s the major thing,” he said.

“In Gisborne, you’ve got Hick’s Bay/Wharekahika, Te Araroa and Hinerupe Marae.”

Speaking to the Chronicle last year, Whanganui Civil Defence emergency manager Tim Crowe said Edwards, as part of EMAT, could provide observations and information about other weather events he attended.

“We can look at whether that will improve our own systems and incorporate it into what we do locally,” Crowe said.

“A lot of it is around organising our teams and how we evacuate, to make it as quick and efficient as we can and to give people time.”

In a Facebook post on January 30, Tairāwhiti Civil Defence said it was “incredibly grateful” for Edwards and staff who had travelled from other regions.

“Your willingness to leave your own whānau and communities to help Te Tairāwhiti in our time of need means everything.

“The dedication, expertise, and manaakitanga shown by everyone in the ECC this week have been outstanding.”

NZDF soldiers from 2 Engineer Regiment and 16 Field Regiment help with the clean-up effort in Te Araroa. Photo / NZDF

Edwards said he shared Whanganui’s civil defence strategies when seconded.

“We use a lot of new tools.

“If our team sees a slip or something, they can take a photo, put some details in and that data will come back to our EOC [emergency operations centre].

“That starts building our situational awareness.”

He said the first major event he responded to was in 2013 when more than 1500 litres of diesel leached into the Makotuku Stream, the primary tributary to the Raetihi town water supply.

During Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, he was flown into Wairoa as a welfare manager.

“It’s a lot different when the township has no water and no communications. It definitely makes it challenging.

“I took our [Whanganui Civil Defence] tablets over there and started getting needs assessments back into their EOC.

“Even with no connection, we had Starlink, which was a godsend.”

In Whanganui, emergency response awareness was increasing, Edwards said.

The district’s civil defence team was “constantly training”.

“We have base radios in all our rural communities – up the [Whanganui] river, Mangamahu, Okoia.

“That’s to keep constant communication. We know they can get cut off pretty fast.”

He said roading crews were still working hard in Gisborne.

“By the time I left, they had just got access back to Te Araroa, and the Defence Force had arrived to help out with clean-up.

“Silt removal is a major thing.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.