Questions on timing of hill fires emergency

"I felt there needed to be a greater sense of urgency over what was happening." City councillor Yani Johanson

Two Christchurch City councillors raised the idea of calling a state of emergency during February’s Port Hills fires more than 24 hours before the declaration was eventually made.

The fires started on the night of February 13 and burned for 48 hours before a state of emergency was declared at 6.05pm on February 15.

Email correspondence, obtained under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, shows councillor Yani Johanson said he was ‘‘wondering if we should declare a state of emergency to get more resources helping with the fires’’ in an email sent at 10.11am on February 14.

At 3.55pm on February 15, Johanson wrote ‘‘it looks like a nuclear bomb has gone off out that way’’ in a conversation about the evacuation of Westmorland.

‘‘I am wondering what we need for a state of emergency given what’s happening. I’m assuming the [Christchurch] adventure park is in a pretty bad situation too.’’

About 5.45pm on February 14, Cr Deon Swiggs wrote he was ‘‘getting a number of people asking why we haven’t declared a local state of emergency over the fires’’.

‘‘Considering the situation as it is I don’t see why we wouldn’t, but I don’t fully yet understand the process,’’ he said.

He asked whether a local state of emergency had been considered and, if so, why one had not been declared.

Just after 2.20pm on February 15, Swiggs said people were ‘‘worried’’.

‘‘I am worried and this is very much a city issue as far as I’m concerned. I’m very worried if this isn’t contained today that tonight may see assets lost,’’ he wrote.

About an hour before the state of emergency was declared, Cr Mike Davidson wrote although the event affected more than Christchurch city, residents ‘‘right across the city are extremely concerned about this continuing fire’’.

‘‘The sooner we as a council communicate via the radio the better. Although we are not the lead, people expect us to be,’’ he said.

Yesterday, Johanson said his ward, Linwood, was not directly affected by the fires, but he had seen ‘‘a struggle to get the appropriate resources’’ after significant earthquake aftershocks.

‘‘When I saw the fire from where I was . . . what I saw was pretty extreme.

‘‘I felt there needed to be a greater sense of urgency over what was happening,’’ he said.

Swiggs said a state of emergency would have pulled resources together ‘‘a lot quicker’’.

‘‘You get people afraid and the last thing we want is to get people afraid,’’ he said.

A council spokeswoman said the state of emergency was not called earlier because Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel was told the incident management team in Selwyn had advised it did not need ‘‘additional resources or powers’’.

Selwyn District Mayor Sam Broughton said he received the same advice.

‘‘They already had a full multiagency approach and the airspace was full with helicopters.

‘‘The declaration didn’t change the fire response.

‘‘The reason we declared a state of emergency was to support evacuations, cordons, and public confidence,’’ he said.

Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee yesterday reiterated his belief the call should have been made earlier.

‘‘If you look at the powers that immediately become available under a state of emergency, you can do more,’’ he said.