Civil defence exercise tests eruption of Mt Ruapehu

The Coromandel is in safe hands. At least that is the outcome of a recent emergency planning exercise involving the scenario of choking ash from an eruption at Mt Ruapehu.

Members of the Thames Valley Emergency Operating Centre participated this week in the Waikato region civil defence exercise designed around a volcanic eruption of Mount Ruapehu. The eruption resulted in 10mm of ash falling on the Coromandel Peninsula exacerbated by a period of showers and light rain.

A team made up of representatives from the Ministry of Social Development, Hauraki District Council, Thames-Coromandel District Council and Civil Defence worked together to successfully deal with falling roofs, a petrol tanker accident and fire, school closures, loss of electricity, landline, email and cellphone coverage, issues around wastewater and storm water, agriculture, aquaculture and horticulture effects, evacuations and an asthma death

“We worked together as a team and had to show real innovation to get through but the Coromandel was in safe hands!” says TCDC Group Manager Support Services, Pam Howat.

Exercises are held throughout the year and have included a national exercise of a volcanic eruption in Auckland, the regional exercise just undertaken, and a local exercise of an earthquake in the Matamata-Piako District that involved the full evacuation of a school.