Auckland flooding, wild weather: What does a state of emergency mean?
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has today declared a state of local emergency as a deluge has hit Tāmaki Makaurau and other parts of the North Island.
Firefighters have responded to 88 calls for help, 22 of which were urgent, across flood-affected Auckland and Northland.
Driving conditions are treacherous and the Northern Motorway is closed between Northcote Rd and Esdmonde Rd in both directions.
“This morning, at my request, the Deputy Mayor and I received an urgent phone briefing from Auckland Emergency Management Civil Defence,” Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said in a statement.
“After carefully considering the advice of the Duty Controller I have decided to declare a precautionary State of Local Emergency. The decision is based on the lessons we learnt from the Anniversary Auckland floods.
“While I am assured that emergency services are coping with the volume of call outs at the moment, and that they do not require emergency powers, I consider it is necessary to communicate to the public that this is something to take seriously.
“As I am in Sydney on Council business, I have delegated my responsibilities and powers to Desley Simpson, who is now Acting Mayor until I return,” Brown said.
So what does that mean for you?
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For the most part, the state of emergency does not affect daily life.
Schools can open if they are not already and people can go to work as usual.
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The state of emergency simply means agencies are able to access some powers they usually do not have.
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It means council staff are able to enter buildings at any time during working hours to assess the safety, evacuate people and prohibit the use of the building if it is deemed unsafe - and police have the power to support them in doing that
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The state of emergency also means that the Civil Defence Emergency Management Group have powers relating to the provision of the relief of distress including emergency food, clothing and shelter.
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It allows Fire and Emergency New Zealand to enter any properties and shore up or pull down structures that have been damaged and provide a danger to life or property.
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‘We recommend you are extra cautious’
Auckland Council is warning properties next to, above or below properties affected by existing landslides may be at increased risk of further landslides.
The council’s head of engineering resilience Ross Roberts said today’s rain may see further damage.
“In many areas, clifftop properties with existing landslides may encounter further damage.
“If your house has a red ‘entry prohibited’ placard, ensure you’re following the requirement to stay out.
“If your house has a yellow ‘restricted access’ placard, follow the restrictions given on the placard and seriously consider avoiding any entry for the duration of the event.
“If your house is next to a property with a placard, or if you see any signs of instability, or if you are concerned about the stability of the land around your house, we recommend you are extra cautious during this likely severe weather event and you may want to consider finding alternative accommodation during heavy rain.”
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www.nzherald.co.nz...
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Q&A: Ask a question about...Online Safety
Continuing with Neighbourly's online Q&A with experts in their field, this week we are tackling online safety with Jandy Fiske from Netsafe.
Jandy Fiske has been with Netsafe for nearly 8 years. Starting on their helpline, she's now Netsafe's Community Engagement Advisor. Jandy says: 'I'm passionate about online safety because I strongly oppose bullying and want to support those affected by it.'
Jandy is passionate about protecting vulnerable communities and is promoting online safety to ensure no one falls prey to online scams. She can answer your questions about any type of online scams, and also about online harm such as online bullying.
↓ Ask your question below now and she'll be online on Wednesday, 11th September to reply to you ↓
Police are investigating after a bus driver was allegedly punched in the face and "had some teeth knocked" out in Avondale.
Police said it was alerted to the incident at about 10.17am yesterday.
"The driver received facial injuries and was transported to hospital," a spokesperson said.
"Police are making inquiries into the assault to identify those involved."
Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt said the driver was allegedly punched in the face by a passenger.
Froggatt wanted more to be done about "issues like this".
"I realise you can't have a policeman on every bus, but the drivers and the unions seem to be left out of the conversation.
"He's in hospital getting stitches put in his knee. He had his teeth knocked out," he said.
Froggatt said he got "about three or four calls like this" from drivers a month.
"I feel for the family, the drivers should be able to go to work and go home safe."
Auckland Transport said it was aware of the incident and assisting police with their investigation.
Group manager of public transport operations Rachel Cara said the bus operator was ensuring the driver has the support they need.
"We operate over 13,000 bus services every weekday and fortunately the majority of our passengers are amazing, but these isolated incidents are concerning.
"Our bus drivers work tirelessly to keep Aucklanders moving and deserve to feel safe in their place of work.
"We continue to work closely with police, other agencies and communities to improve safety on public transport."
Police urged witnesses to call 105.
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www.1news.co.nz...
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