MEDIA RELEASE
18 October 2018
Flood awareness campaign in Queenstown and Wanaka next week
Businesses located close to the lake in Queenstown and Wanaka will be getting a refresher on the risk of flooding next
week, as Otago Regional Council (ORC), Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) and Emergency Management Otago (EMO)
team up for their annual flood awareness campaign.
Low-lying parts of the Queenstown and Wanaka CBDs are periodically affected by floods. Businesses in the area are
visited annually to make sure they understand the flood risk and are given advice and information on how to be prepared.
The ORC, QLDC and EMO teams will be visiting businesses in the flood zone in Queenstown on Wednesday 24th October and
Wanaka onThursday 25th October to offer advice to business owners about how to prepare for a flood, and where to access
information and help.
ORC Director Engineering, Hazards and Science, Dr Gavin Palmer said, “This campaign is a great opportunity to advise
communities on how they might be affected by a flood, and to outline what they can do to minimise the impact on
themselves and their business.”
Otago Emergency Management Officer for Queenstown Lakes, Trevor Andrews said, “We have a lot of practical information on
flooding in the area. 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.”
ENDS