Otago Regional Council chief executive Peter Bodeker raised that possibility yesterday during a report to the council on the aftermath of the magnitude-7.8 Kaikoura earthquake that occurred shortly after midnight on November 14.
During the time shortly after the earthquake and in the later follow-up, nine Emergency Management Otago staff had helped the Environment Canterbury CDEM effort, either in Christchurch or in Kaikoura.
And two ORC staff had taken part in a private capacity.
Mr Bodeker said in an interview that considerable thought was being put into future needs, given the recent quake experiences.
There could be benefits in having a bigger group of trained volunteers to help in the aftermath of an earthquake, including in respect of tsunami risks.
A bigger group of volunteers could be helpful not only shortly after a quake but could also help provide further support during a long-running follow-up, when tired people needed to be replaced by others in a continuing recovery effort, he said.
Three ORC and Dunedin City Council staff had been in the Dunedin City Council emergency management bunker in a monitoring capacity by 2am on November 14, after monitoring by Otago Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) staff from home, he told the council in his report.
The DCC had declared a state of emergency at 2.51am in response to a tsunami warning, which was then lifted about 6am.
"It was determined that South Dunedin streets were not at risk as the wave was unlikely to breach the natural protection at St Clair."
But volunteers had been directed away from the Esplanade and John Wilson Dr, "monitored by a volunteer from DCC", Mr Bodeker said in his report.
Once it had reached the Otago coastline, the tsunami wave was "relatively insignificant" but the risk that a further wave might follow required that the "monitoring and evacuations" stayed in place until the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management later officially cancelled the tsunami warning, he said.
