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Around 80 Red Cross volunteers rehearse tsunami response in Tauranga
Four brand-new specialist vehicles for disasters and emergencies were part of a national exercise that tested welfare support for evacuated people.
Around 80 New Zealand Red Cross volunteers from across the North Island gathered in Tauranga to practise looking after people during a simulated tsunami evacuation.
The volunteers are members of Red Cross Disaster Welfare and Support Teams (DWST). They took part in Exercise Pacific Wave, a national exercise run by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). It imagined a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Peru sending a tsunami towards New Zealand, with mass evacuations from coastal zones.
Jackie Bubb, New Zealand Red Cross Director of Domestic Operations, says regular training keeps Red Cross people ready to help communities when they need it most. Exercises in a realistic setting also show volunteers what works well and where they can improve.
What the volunteers did
Over the weekend, volunteers worked together in a mock emergency, tested welfare arrangements, and learned the Red Cross equipment, systems and resources they would use in real earthquakes, tsunamis and cyclones.
The teams also became familiar with four brand-new specialist vehicles used in disasters and emergencies.
Dozens of Tauranga community members and organisations turned up to simulated Emergency Assistance Centres to role play people affected by a disaster.
Teams also visited homes in Pāpāmoa to practise community outreach, sharing simple tips to help households get ready for an emergency.
DWST also worked with Emergency Management Bay of Plenty, Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty. They were able to share information on tsunami mapping in the area.
About the teams
In an emergency, DWST volunteers give first aid along with psychological and welfare support. Red Cross has 20 teams across the country, each usually with up to 20 members.
Their work includes running evacuation centres, finding out what each person needs, and giving emotional, practical and social support, known as psychosocial support.
How to get involved
Red Cross often needs new DWST volunteers. Teams usually train together one evening a fortnight, alongside a deployment course of five modules and two first aid courses.
Red Cross also runs a Good and Ready preparedness programme. Readers can find out more about it, and about volunteering, through the links below.