Minister Briefed On Far North
Civil DefenceThe Government is continuing to play a significant role in ensuring the recovery of the Far North communities following last week's flash flood.
The Minister of Civil Defence, Jack Elder, has received a detailed briefing from the Director of Emergency Management and Civil Defence, John Norton in which he outlined the commitment of Government resources to the region.
"Firstly, the Government is meeting the immediate needs of residents and supporters," Mr Elder said. "It has funded food and accommodation on marae since the emergency was declared on Friday and is also funding the cleanup for access to houses.
"At a meeting on Saturday afternoon with the District Council in Kaikohe the needs for assessing ongoing recovery were addressed.
"John Norton also offered on Saturday to provide members of the armed forces to the community if their help was wanted but so far the local authority has not found that necessary.
"Now we're moving into the recovery phase and the Ministry has set up a meeting of all agencies in Kaikohe to work out the detail of getting the community back on its feet. This meeting is currently underway."
Mr Elder said he expects to learn the outcome of this meeting later today.