Selwyn teams get earthquake-ready

What would happen in the first 72 hours after a major Alpine Fault earthquake?

That's the question Selwyn's emergency management team and emergency response partners came together to tackle during a recent earthquake readiness workshop.

The district-wide workshop was part of ongoing readiness work under the AF8 programme, which looks at scientific modelling, coordinated response planning and community engagement for a magnitude eight or greater rupture of the Alpine Fault.

Representatives from Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Hato Hone St John and other response agencies got together to work through what the first 72 hours after a major earthquake on any of the district's 19 known faults could look like, with a particular focus on Selwyn's high-country communities.

The workshop considered scenarios such as using fixed-wing aircraft to fly reconnaissance into the mountain passes, using jet boats to reach the high country, and bringing supplies to remote communities that could be cut off by landslides, infrastructure damage or aftershocks.

The Council's Head of Emergency Management and District Al Lawn said the workshop was designed to test assumptions and challenge existing plans in a collaborative environment.

"We know that no plan survives first contact with a major emergency," Lawn said. "The purpose of this workshop was to have the conversations now, so we're better prepared to respond when it matters most."

"We're fortunate to have strong partnerships across the district both across responses agencies, and within our communities," Lawn said. "Those relationships together with community resilience and preparedness, are critical to ensuring our communities receive the support they need during and after a major emergency."