Who is Civil Defence?

When disaster strikes, Civil Defence responds. But who is Civil Defence? In the Horizons Region, each Territorial Authority is responsible for Civil Defence at the local level with regional coordination via the Manawatu-Wanganui Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group.

When disaster strikes, Civil Defence responds. But who is Civil Defence? In the Horizons Region, each Territorial Authority is responsible for Civil Defence at the local level with regional coordination via the Manawatu-Wanganui Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group. Horizons is the administering authority for the Group which is based on regional boundaries and made up of staff from all the local councils, emergency services, health boards and other organisations to ensure a coordinated response.

The Group’s goal is to: build a resilient and safer region with communities understanding and managing their hazards and risks. Horizons’ main role is one of facilitation. It’s our responsibility to establish the Group in accordance with the Civil Defence and Emergency Management Act 2002. As a member of the Group we’re responsible for evaluating warning systems, implementing training and operating the Group Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) to support affected districts during larger scale events. Each local council also has its own Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) that manages the response on the ground – dealing with issues such as evacuations, surface flooding and road repairs. Horizons’ Operations Team is responsible for managing river and drainage systems across the Manawatu-Wanganui Region. So when the rain falls, like it did in June, our own Emergency Operations Centre also springs into action and our team heads out to monitor river levels and action flood response plans as necessary across the Region.

More about the Group’s structure is available on our website, but the most important thing is that you Get Ready to Get Thru. It’s a good idea to have essential items on hand at home, in your car and at your workplace and have a chat to your family to create an emergency plan. See www.getthru.govt.nz for further details on how to get prepared or contact the Emergency Management Officer at your city or district council to find out more about local hazards and response arrangements. You can also check out Facebook page www.facebook.com/civildefencemanawatuwanganui for the latest updates.