Civil Defence

The way a civil defence emergency in Dunedin would be managed has changed, with improvements informed by lessons learned in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes.

Civil defence emergencies will be managed from the Waitaki District Council headquarters in Oamaru from now on, despite lingering concerns about how safe the three-storey building would be in an earthquake.

Uncertainty over the Maniototo's civil defence plan should a natural disaster strike has led to holding an information evening.

The Waitaki civil defence headquarters in Oamaru may be shifted for major emergencies because the present site is not adequate.

Civil Defence could have communicated better with frustrated business owners in Christchurch, its minister John Carter says.

Nearly 40,000 Civil Defence payments have been made to those affected by the Christchurch earthquake, including more than 1300 to people who have relocated to the Southern region.

Three civil defence emergency managers from Christchurch are giving other civil defence officers from around the South Island insights into the real thing at a conference in Dunedin this week.

While the people of Otago went about their daily business yesterday, Civil Defence was hard at work preparing the region for a one-in-2500-year disaster.

The only earthquake to cause significant damage in Dunedin occurred on April 9, 1974.

On Otago Regional Council earthquake maps, areas of liquefaction spread across the province like old-fashioned ink blots.