The recent extreme weather events across the North Island have been some of the biggest and most challenging emergencies our teams have responded to in recent history.
When emergencies strike, our frontline teams are often first on the scene to provide lifesaving first aid and community support. Disasters and emergencies can come with unprecedented and unique challenges, and it’s vital that we are prepared to respond safely and effectively to deliver the help that is so desperately needed. Your support means that our teams have the training, assistance and equipment they need to continue to be there for all New Zealanders, even in the most challenging of situations.
When Cyclone Gabrielle hit, we were ready to respond. In anticipation of the major event, we placed additional vehicles, resources, and teams into the most affected areas of Te Tai Tokerau/Northland, Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland, the Coromandel, Tairawhiti/East Cape and Hawke’s Bay, and deployed our Major Incident Support Teams (MIST) to support the wider response across the North Island.
Being prepared to respond in every situation is crucial. As you can imagine, the calls for help that came in on 111 during and directly after Cyclone Gabrielle were complex, and transporting patients took significantly longer than usual. When communications lines went down in Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti/East Cape, the teams on the ground were vital in providing one of the first line of support to the public.
Brendon Hutchinson, District Operations Manager for the Central South District, said “no one imagined the devastation it [Cyclone Gabrielle] was going to cause Hawke’s Bay. We set up our operations centre at Napier Station and started bringing in road staff and managers from around the country to support our response. In the initial 12-18 hours of the Cyclone, our crews went above and beyond in trying conditions to get to their patients. We were proud to be supporting our communities through this traumatic event and will continue to do so over the coming months.”
Unfortunately, our resources were also impacted during these recent weather events, with ambulance stations and equipment being damaged in the deluge. Like many New Zealanders across the country, our recovery continues.
As we continue to support the recovery in the hardest hit communities, your donations remain essential. From all of us at Hato Hone St John, thank you for helping us to be there when we’re needed most.