Volcanoes - Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management

Coastal ring plain showing volcanic debris avalanche mounds. Photo: Rob Tucker
and addresses the framework of Scientific Alert Levels
and principal emergency management activities – what
we do when the scientists tell us it’s getting worse. Of
course we have the little quandary that the scientists
will be very cautious about telling us it's getting worse
until they actually have evidence – no Pierce Brosnan’s
in that lot telling us to evacuate the town.
We identify the hazard zones. These are based
on the scientific research on what has happened before.
Our zones are colour coded – red, blue, orange and
yellow. This makes the mapped zones easier to relate
to than using numbers. The levels of alert are numbers
(0-5). We talk about essential services and spell out
that each of the services is responsible for keeping their
service going. In addition we state exactly what it is they
are responsible for in a volcanic response environment.
In the next section of the Strategy, we discuss
the hazards – what can go wrong. Particular emphasis
is placed on the life-threatening hazards, the ground
hugging flows. Finally, we discuss monitoring of the
volcano.
In the Contingency Plan, we discuss emergency
management issues. This is divided into media
management, coordination and control, evacuation,
resources, communications and welfare. Such matters
as identifying fastest evacuation routes, possible
signage, emergency management facilities (Emergency
Operations Centres), pre-event public awareness and the
availability of information.
Of course, the Contingency Plan is only good for
a short period and is not intended to be the response
bible. The Plan provides a few ideas to support the
huge amount of planning that will go into response
when an eruption is imminent. Even the plans that
are developed closer to the time will only be good for
the first eruption. After that I guess it will be rescue
and recovery, and without actually knowing where the
rescues are required and what resources have actually
survived that is just a guessing game.
Although only developed in 2000, a review
of the Contingency Plan will soon bring this into line
with plans developed on an inter-service basis (such as
our Waitara Flood Plan, Naphtha Plan and Well-head
Blowout Plan). This will then address lead agency,
objectives, plan of action, critical elements, resourcing,
information flow and communications for both the
21
TEPHRA
June 2004