IAEM Oceania

Location: Massey University Campus, Wellington, New Zealand

Date(s): 15-19 March, 2010

Organiser: Joint Centre for Disaster Research, School of Psychology, Massey University and GNS Science

Cost: $1000 (+GST)

Contact: Daryl Barton

Web: Flier

Description:

Location: Duxton Hotel, Wellington, New Zealand

Date(s): 24 February, 2010

Organiser: Conferenz

Cost: $1295 (+GST)

Contact: Daryl Barton

Web: Conference page

Description:

IAEM Oceania member, Steve Glassey, has provided the following report entitled "Recommendations to enhance companion animal emergency management in New Zealand". This report was developed to partially fulfil the requirements of the Charles Sturt University Master of Emergency Management.

For more information about the report, please contact Steve:
M +64 21 0278 8930
E steve.glassey at mercalli.co.nz

The full report can be downloaded below.

Location: Duxton Hotel, Wellington, New Zealand

Date(s): 22-23 February, 2010

Organiser: Conferenz

Cost: $995 (+GST)

Contact: Register

Web: Conference page

Description:

Source: Stuff.co.nz

Traffic cameras have been used to monitor the impact of the tsunami on Christchurch coastlines. Christchurch City Council civil defence staff used a traffic camera on Humphreys Drive to check water levels in the Estuary when the first wave – triggered by an earthquake near Samoa – reached Christchurch shores about 11.30am. A mobile traffic camera has also been positioned in Moncks Bay to record water levels in the Estuary throughout the day. Council civil defence manager Murray Sinclair said the water levels did not rise dramatically when the first wave hit.

The MCDEM Samoa Tsunami Releases are available from this page.

Source: NZ Herald

It is not good enough for John Carter to say there will be a review of New Zealand Civil Defence's response to the tsunami alert - there needs to be an independent review of what happened by someone we can trust. And it should be given priority. You never know when the system will next need to respond and after yesterday's schemozzle, my confidence in the system has weakened, not grown. Before that confidence in the system can be restored, we need to have confidence in a decent review and what happened. We need to be sure it is not some PR puff piece put together by the officials involved whom we know would say "we can always do better."

Source: NZ Government

$1million to Samoa, Tonga for emergency relief

New Zealand is providing an initial $1million donation for immediate disaster relief efforts in Samoa and Tonga, Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced today.

"This initial contribution will help the governments of Samoa and Tonga to provide essential supplies and personnel to help those in need following the earthquake and tsunami," Mr McCully said.

It is good to see Telecom also taking measures to ensure that the offer won't overload telecommunication systems - which may be under load in the affected countries due to damage and increased traffic.

TELECOM SUPPORT FOLLOWING DISASTERS IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

1 October 2009

Telecom customers will not be charged for home phone calls to Samoa from midnight Tuesday until midnight Friday 2 October. Calls to Tonga will also not be charged from midnight Wednesday to midnight Friday.

Source: NZ Government

Minister calls for Civil Defence review

Civil Defence Minister John Carter has asked for a review into how the Civil Defence and Emergency Management ministry deals with tsunami alerts.

"Generally, the response to yesterday's tsunami warning was pretty good, but there are concerning reports about the ways in which some information was communicated to the public. Frankly, that is not good enough," says Mr Carter.