MEDIA RELEASE

September 26, 2014

Joint flood preparedness sessions

Learning to live with the flood threat is the aim of free public awareness sessions being held in the Wakatipu Basin and Wanaka next month in partnership with the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).

How to access information and help, and what you can do to prepare are the key messages from upcoming drop-in sessions and business meetings in the area.

After the major floods in Wanaka and Queenstown in 1999, the Otago Regional Council (ORC) and the QLDC produced a joint strategy to build community resilience – the Learning to Live with Flooding Strategy.

ORC director engineering, hazards and science Gavin Palmer says the sessions can advise people on how they might be affected by a flood, and what they can do to minimise the impact on themselves and their business.

“We have a lot of practical information on flooding in the area, and residents generally have several days notice before flooding is likely to take place here, so the more they know how to prepare the better placed they will be to reduce the impact,” QLDC communications manager Michele Poole said.

Drop-in sessions featuring staff and elected members from both the ORC and QLDC are planned for Queenstown, Wanaka, Glenorchy, and Kingston.

In Queenstown and Wanaka mainly businesses in the CBD have been affected in the past by flooding, while in Kingston and Glenorchy it is mainly residential properties and holiday homes that have been flooded.

At the Queenstown and Glenorchy sessions GNS scientist Dr Simon Cox will be talking about the Te Horo/Dart River landslide and New Zealand’s newest lake.

“The Queenstown Wanaka lakes area is a very dynamic environment, and this talk is a good opportunity to hear about the alluvial fan/landslide process, which is a potential risk in the Wakatipu and Wanaka areas,” Dr Palmer said.

The planned sessions are in: Wanaka, Monday 6 October, at the Lakefront from 5pm to 7pm;

Queenstown, Tuesday 7 October, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 93 Beach St, 4pm to 6pm;

Glenorchy, Wednesday 8 October, Community Hall, 7pm to 9pm;

Kingston, Thursday 9 October, Community Hall, 5pm to 7pm.

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