Wellington Earthquake Initial Response Plan

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management has just released the Response Plan.

A major earthquake in the Wellington region is one of the worst scenarios for a natural hazard disaster that could be faced by New Zealand. This is due in part to Wellington’s population density, it being the seat of government, its economic importance, and its role as a key transport hub. In addition, a major earthquake in the Wellington region is likely to severely restrict the ability of authorities to coordinate and control the national response. In most other scenarios the ability of authorities to coordinate and control the response would remain largely intact.

The plan provided in this document has been created to show the concept of operations for the response to a major Wellington earthquake. It shows agreed roles and responsibilities for agencies participating in the response. The plan ensures that the national level response is co-ordinated, can be activated immediately and automatically, and is as effective and as efficient as possible within the constraints of this event.

Here is the link to a copy of the Plan