Mayor calls for state of emergency

Mayor Len Salt has declared a pre-emptive state of emergency in Thames-Coromandel district.

A state of emergency can be declared when there is an event that might cause loss of life or property, which cannot be dealt with by emergency services in the normal fashion, the council said in a statement yesterday afternoon.

‘‘The reason I have done this is because we have an unfolding situation with vulnerable communities, vulnerable people and an emerging situation where we have the potential for land slips and further erosion that we need to manage,’’ Salt said.

‘‘The main area affected is the west coast, the Thames Coast, from Ruamahunga northward. By declaring a state of emergency we are empowering our agencies and our emergency support services and our staff to be able to manage this situation in a way that protects property and keeps people safe and out of harm’s way.’’

The situation is ‘‘weather dependent and will depend to some degree on the extent to which the damage that has already been done by water and rainfall continues to make the hills and catchment areas vulnerable to further slips’’.

‘‘There is some rain expected over the weekend but we’re hoping for some fine weather to settle the situation down to some degree.’’

The east coast is less affected and can be accessed from the south, but the situation can change at short notice.

‘‘Most people visiting and most of the residents of Thames-Coromandel District will not be aware there is a state of emergency in place. If you are out and about visiting, please keep up to date with road conditions and take care out there everyone,’’ he said.

Emergency services now have additional power that will allow them to respond to and manage risk more efficiently, the statement said.

This can include evacuating people from at-risk areas and inspecting and accessing private property to assess or manage risk such as land slips or flooding.

It also means that council services have greater and more efficient access to national resources.

The council strongly discourages anyone from travelling around the district unless necessary.

Some roads and highways are closed due to landslips with the potential for more closures in the coming days.

Visit www.tcdc.govt.nz/roads for an upto-date list of closed and compromised roads.

If you see anything on local roads, let the council know on 07 868 0200 or email service.desk@tcdc.co.nz.

For state highways, keep an eye on the website or contact 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).