evacuate! - Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management

Location Population If Only 60% Evacuate
Rotorua District 64,473 ~ 39,000
Kawerau District 6,975 ~ 4,000
Te Teko 630 ~ 400
Te Puke 6,774 ~ 4,000
Murupara 1,959 ~ 1,200
Whakatane District 32,814 ~ 20,000
Tauranga District 90,906 ~ 55,000
Total 204,531 ~125,000
Table 3. Populations and possible numbers of evacuees in the Bay
of Plenty region (Census, 2001)
well before any evacuation is necessary. Plans for
hospitals, schools and nursing homes should already
have been implemented by each authority, but
individual facilities and institutions also need to have
an evacuation plan. To achieve this, communication
links must be established early in the pre-eruption stage.
Locations of evacuation shelters should be confirmed
and made accessible and known to agencies and the
public. Vehicle protection, ash clearance, bulk ash
disposal, contractor resources and arrangements, and
availability of fuel are also important. Lists of special
equipment and supplies should be compiled, including
tow trucks, and taxi/private bus companies. Plans
for potential receiving cities need to be updated; the
availability of fuel and suitable accommodation will
need to be monitored prior to an event.
EVACUATION ROUTE INFORMATION:
The evacuation movement can be either preeruption
or during-eruption. The primary method of
evacuation movement in this area has to be by road,
although there is a rail link to Kawerau. Before the
eruption, road conditions are unaffected by ash, but
apprehension may affect driving skills. Evacuation
movement during periods of ashfall, is drastically
changed by road conditions, and therefore, the
subsequent action taken by drivers. Under this scenario,
most recommended and compulsory evacuations take
place before any substantial ashfalls in the area.
Viable destinations for evacuees from Rotorua
include Hamilton, Auckland and possibly Tauranga and
Taupo. However, evacuation to Tauranga and Taupo,
or to any other city within the Bay of Plenty region,
is better only as an interim measure. These centres
could need to be evacuated themselves if the eruption
escalated or wind direction changed. If the route to
Taupo is taken, the recommendation given to evacuees
will be to travel south along SH 30 through to SH 1,
as SH 5 passes close to the Primary Evacuation Zone
and may be closed prior to the eruption. If the route
to Hamilton is taken, the recommendation given to
evacuees will be to travel via SH 5 to SH 1 (Fig 4).
Clear advice needs to be given to the public,
recommending evacuation routes and destinations (or
destinations to avoid), well in advance of an evacuation
warning.
If the population leaves Kawerau via Kawerau
Road to SH 30, the choice lies in either going to the west
or east (along SH 30). The best option is to take SH 30 to
the east (Fig 5); they could then travel to Te Teko, turn
south and follow the south route and travel on to Taupo
via Murupara; or could turn north from Te Teko, or to
Matata, on the coast, and then northwest to Tauranga.
Following this route would be slow, and would involve
travelling in ashfall-prone areas, once the eruption
has commenced. Going to the west will compound the
problems in the Rotorua area.
A second option is to leave Kawerau by the
southern forestry road to Ngamotu Road, although
this comes in close proximity to Tarawera volcano, just
outside of the Primary risk zone. This option is only
possible pre-eruption, and is likely to be closed as soon
as the eruption begins. The options from here are east to
Pokairoa Road, following it south to Kopuriki Road until
Murupara, then turn west earlier to Rainbow Mountain
and south to Taupo.
EVACUATION BY ROAD
This is likely to be the most common
transportation method used in evacuations for the
Rotorua-Kawerau districts. Most people will be advised
to evacuate by car, except for a few minority groups
who will neither be able to drive, nor be able to
travel with friends and family. These include special
population groups such as hospital patients, residential
District
Cars
Rental
cars
Taxis
Trucks
Buses &
coaches
Trailers
Motorcycles
Mopeds
Tractors
Exempt
vehicles
Misc.
Total
Auckland 625,590 11,329 3,497 94,595 3,088 71,746 9,187 828 2,530 1,325 3,972 827,687
Hamilton 145,457 481 267 33,112 1,135 38,091 3,200 828 2,486 578 1,190 226,825
Tauranga 92,357 321 129 20,395 506 22,715 2,340 610 1,184 546 1,159 142,262
Rotorua 32,311 69 99 8,147 260 8,284 653 117 459 332 333 51,064
Table 4. Vehicle numbers (registered) in the Bay of Plenty/Waikato/Auckland regions (From Land Transport Safety Authority, 2000)
50
TEPHRA
June 2004