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A new group of volunteers has formed to help support the Red Beach, Ōrewa, Hatfields Beach, Waiwera, Silverdale and Millwater areas in a civil defence emergency.
Called the Hibiscus North Community Resilience Group, it joins the existing Whangaparāoa Community Resilience Group, which covers the peninsula. The groups work with Auckland Emergency Management to create a local response in the event of a disaster.
Members Lynsey Ellis and Tracella Owens say their first task is to develop an emergency response plan.
The plans identify local challenges, such as impacts on the road network, and consider ways to work around those issues and keep people safe.
They are also looking at what local hubs could be used as refuges if needed. One that is already on the list is Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa community marae, in Silverdale (see story below). The Salvation Army base in Red Beach, St Chads church and local schools are also being considered.
Tracella says it’s important to encourage residents to prepare themselves for potential emergencies.
“The community needs to understand that council and civil defence won’t be knocking on your door to see if you’re ok. Emergency services probably will be, if the situation is dire, but you still need to have a plan for your own home in place.”
At present the group has around eight members and is looking for more.
“We will have plenty of volunteers in the event of a disaster,” Lynsey says. “We are looking for people prepared to meet regularly and help with the response plan and coordination efforts.”
Tracella, who lives in Hatfields Beach, got involved with the group because she, and others in her neighbourhood, was affected by last year’s floods.
Her property has a reserve in front of it which subsided into the sea.
“After that, I met with the Rodney Support group and realised there was nothing was in place for this area in case there’s another disaster,” she says.
Lynsey says once the plan is complete, likely to be a few months away, the group will look for funding for things such as generators and communication equipment. Info: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561299764414
Marae goes solar for community support
The community marae, Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa, is taking advantage of the elevated position of its buildings, near Wade Hotel, to offer support to the community in a tsunami or flooding event. Marae kaiwhakahaere, Kereama Nathan, says in the last floods they opened their doors to the community as an emergency shelter, however they lost power for two days. “We realised that was a weak point, and although we could use generators, they can only do so much,” he says. The solution has been to put solar panels on the roof of the wharenui to power a battery system capable of providing power for 12 hours. The $46,000 project was supported with a grant from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. Kereama says that a reliable source of power will mean they can cook and share food, as well as providing heat and light for people who need shelter. He says as the marae is part of the new Hibiscus North Community Resilience Group, it is important to build emergency response capacity. “We want to make a meaningful contribution to the community’s resilience and safety,” Kereama says. The solar system is due to be installed over the next month.
