Taranaki is subject to a range of natural hazards, the most significant of which are flooding, volcanic activity, earthquakes, high winds, tornadoes and land instability.
Potential increases in the severity and frequency of natural hazards, such as flooding and rising sea levels, are expected as a result of climate change. Rainfall in Taranaki is predicted to decrease in summer and increase in winter, with a likely increase in extreme rainfalls through the 21st century as the temperature increases.
South Taranaki is likely to become drier on average, in terms of the moisture available for pasture growth, with more frequent droughts. Gale and storm-force winds from the west are likely to increase.
The Taranaki Regional Council operates an extensive river level monitoring and flood warning system, as well as wind and rainfall recorders. In addition, eight seismometers (instruments used to measure earthquakes) are located around Mount Taranaki to monitor potential seismic and volcanic activity. Over the past five years:
- Monitoring has shown no volcanic activity.
- Four significant flood events and a number of minor events have occurred in the region.
- 102 special weather warnings were issued by Met Service.
- 200-300 earthquakes have been recorded each year in Taranaki, but only a few have been felt.
The swarm of tornadoes that hit Taranaki in July 2007 triggered a declaration of a state of emergency. The emergency response systems functioned well.
Both regional and district plans identify natural hazards and contain controls to reduce hazard risks. Significant hazards and risks to be managed by the Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group are identified in the Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan. A volcanic strategy has also been prepared and updated.
The Taranaki Regional Council has prepared and updated a flood event standard operating procedure. In addition, community awareness and education on natural hazards, risk reduction measures, and responses are carried out on an ongoing basis.
Download this section of the full report 902kb
Top of page
|
Case study |
|
|
Taranaki Community Tackles Tornadoes
Nature threw a tantrum in July 2007 – and Taranaki mobilised to clean up the mess left in its wake.
Besides the severity and randomness of the damage and the miraculous lack of death or serious injury, a notable feature of the tornado swarm that struck Taranaki in July 2007 was the community response.
Taranaki people may shrug that off but outsiders were impressed. After visiting the badly damaged Oakura Kindergarten, the then Civil Defence Minister Rick Barker told a media briefing that “there were quite a number of people who were from out of the area helping the Kindergarten because they had kindergartens themselves and said ‘if my kindergarten was damaged like this, I would want other people to come and help me too’.”
An unknown number of tornadoes struck the region on 5 July 2007, a day after one had devastated a building in the New Plymouth CBD. Region-wide, some 73 properties were damaged across a wide area including Motunui, Stratford, Hawera, Kaponga, Okaiawa, Normanby and Rahotu. But it was Oakura that bore the brunt of the damage.
Like Rick Barker, Fire Chief Pat Fitzell was impressed with the way the community rallied around in the aftermath. “Not only the community out at Oakura but the community in greater Taranaki. We’ve had people arriving with hammers, with nails, saying ‘I’m here to help’ from Urenui, from Stratford, from all over Taranaki. So it’s been fantastic,” he said the day after the swarm.
The mess was devastating, enough to awe even those experienced and trained to cope with disasters.
“We saw trampolines up trees,” Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Controller David Lean said after visiting Oakura. “We saw glass embedded in steel. Literally embedded in steel. We saw a 40 ft container – a fully loaded container – blown some 60 ft down into a swamp. We saw a garage that had been moved 100 m over the neighbour’s fence and into a paddock, and the lawnmower was still sitting in the place where somebody parked it … how nobody got hurt beats me.”
A state of emergency was declared by the Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group at 8pm on Thursday, 5 July 2007 and terminated at 10am on Saturday, 7 July 2007. Insured losses from the tornadoes were put at more than $8 million.
The event was the first major test for a new regional Civil Defence Emergency Management structure in Taranaki and all those involved agreed it worked well.
But it was the community as a whole that earned the most credit. “I just have to say the people of Taranaki have rallied around magnificently,” said Rick Barker. “I think they should all take a bow. As a community they have performed just outstandingly. Couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
|
|
Download this section of the full report 902kb
Top of page