News
This is an official message from Emergency Management Southland.
Crews Working 24/7 Restoring Power, Roads, Parks Closed
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Mike Sanford
Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery, Mark Mitchell, has today declared a local state of emergency for the Southland region to assist in the recovery to the severe wind event.
This follows advice from local Emergency Management Southland controllers and officials on the need for additional resources and support to recover from the damaging winds on Thursday 23rd October.
The key concerns continue to be the lack of communications in large parts of our region due to the power outages, and the lifeline needs of our communities.
The declaration was needed to provide Emergency Management Southland with additional powers to coordinate and prioritise resources for the region including generators and fuel. These will assist with the ongoing power outages and disruption to the cell tower network.
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Mike Sanford
Emergency Management Southland is continuing to coordinate with emergency services and the other councils to assess the damage and restore services.
Emergency Management Southland Controller Marcus Roy said the impact of power disruptions is our biggest concern today.
“There are large parts of the region that are still without power and this is affecting drinking water supplies and communications.”
The PowerNet team is prioritising staff and public safety, addressing the live powerlines, and will be restoring power as swiftly as they can once any damage has been assessed.
The lack of power means many cell towers across the region are operating on batteries, so people should expect disruptions to their mobile services during the day. We're working with national emergency management to secure generators for critical cell towers while power supply is still being restored. 111 calls will still go through if there is service.
Southland District Council has advised that Tuatapere, Ohai and Mossburn are without drinking water. The water treatment plants there are all down following yesterday's storm.
A water truck is stationed in the main street of Tuatapere opposite 4 Square. You can source drinking water there, but you MUST BOIL WATER from the truck before drinking it. If you have no power use a gas stove or any camping equipment suitable for boiling water.
If you are concerned for your safety, please call 111. If you have damage to your property, please reach out to your insurer and/or landlord.
If you need additional support, please call Emergency Management Southland on 0800 890 127.
Any updates or emergency messaging will be shared across media channels including radio if you happen to be without power.
There is a radio in your car if you lose access to internet or communications.
If you are starting to clean up around your property, please stay safe and seek support if you need it. A number of volunteer groups are offering assistance around Southland.