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Newsletter for Residents and Ratepayers affected by the Lake
Ohau fire #11
16 October 2020
Updates from today are in red.
This email comes to you from the Waitaki Emergency Management
team. We’ve sent it to you because we understand you have been
directly affected by the fire.
We’re still getting new subscribers to this newsletter so we’ll
keep the older info in here until it’s not needed. An FAQ sheet has
been added to the website page. We’ll keep updating this so let us
know anything you’d like to see on here.
Please forward this newsletter on to anyone who you know who you
think may not have received it themselves.
For more information, go to the Waitaki District Council
website. This has copies of the newsletters and past updates on it
https://www.waitaki.govt.nz/our-council/news-and-public-notices/news/Pages/waitaki-fire-emergency.aspx
Please let us know what we can do to support you, we don’t know
what we don’t know.
You can respond to this email with any questions or requests.
Thanks to those who have already made contact via email. We’re
aiming to give everyone a timely response.
A message from Mayor for Waitaki Gary Kircher:
Hi everyone,
I hope you are all well, and that things are looking more
positive for you. A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks,
with many of you going through some major changes. Even for those
who haven’t lost homes, it is a very disruptive time, and I know we
all feel deeply for those who have lost homes and belongings.
When I visited the village and surrounding area during the week
with six of our Councillors and three of our Ahuriri Community
Board members, it was once again a sobering experience. For the
elected members who hadn’t seen the devastation apart from photos,
it drove home to them the scale of the event. We are all so very
pleased no one was hurt, but we all understand what it has meant to
lose belongings and homes.
I am keeping tabs on what is happening via the daily Civil
Defence Zoom meetings, and ensuring that we keep you - the
residents, owners and tenants, as the central focus of all that we
are doing. Unfortunately there are some necessary regulations that
have to be followed, but I do want us to make things as easy for
you as possible.
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Please let our staff or me know if there are any issues that you
feel we can help with. Even if it is not something that we have
responsibility for, we will do what we can to go into bat for you.
One example is the call for improved cellphone coverage in the
area. I have been in touch with Chorus to see how the service can
be improved to provide a safer coverage area.
As you continue to sort out your situation, make plans, and look
forward to getting life back to relative normality, you remain in
my thoughts and in the thoughts of our Councillors and our amazing
staff. You are our community, and we are here for you.
Best wishes, Gary
Gary Kircher, Mayor for Waitaki Mobile:+64 21 463 546 Email:
Gary Kircher: [email protected] Councillors:
[email protected] Ahuriri Community Board:
[email protected]
Site visits:
1. You’ll need written approval from your insurer (an email
confirmation from your insurer forwarded to us at
[email protected], or shown to us on your phone, is perfect). This
is for your protection, so we know the people going on site are the
property owners.
2. You no longer need to make a booking to visit the site.
Please bring your ID to the control point. Access hours for
residents and ratepayers are between 10am and 3pm daily.
3. Please ensure you wear appropriate clothing and footwear if
you are visiting any property in the fire zone (either inside or
outside the village), whether it has been fire damaged or not. We
recommend dust masks, protective glasses and sensible footwear.
There is a lot of ash and many hazards.
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Updates for today
A bit of light relief:
FUNDRAISING CONCERT FOR OHAU MAYORAL RELIEF FUND AND
ACCOMMODATION OFFER
A fundraising concert for the Ohau Mayoral Relief Fund has been
organised and the Brydone Hotel has offered 5 rooms accommodation
free of charge for the night of the concert, 20 October 2020.
Can you recommend/nominate people from your community who would
like to take a break away and come down to Oamaru for this? If so
please contact Frances McElhinney on Ph. 027 703 8196,
[email protected] or on the Opera House facebook
page.
Complimentary tickets to the show are available for Ohau fire
affected residents and for FENZ and Rural fire support, volunteer
and emergency workers; if you’d like tickets just book ahead by
Facebook Messaging the Oamaru Opera House, or contact Frances
McElhinney on Ph. 027 703 8196, [email protected] and
we’ll save you a seat.
We hope you can take some time away and transport yourselves to
an evening to uplift the spirits. A light supper will be provided
after the concert, which will be a wonderful way to bring our
community together to end the evening.
A little bit of information about the evening:
SHOW DETAILS:
Hopetoun Brown and the Genius of Finn Scholes 7.30pm, Tuesday 20
October 2020, Oamaru Opera House
Hopetoun Brown and the Genius of Finn Scholes are performing a
fundraising concert this Tuesday for the Ohau Mayoral Relief Fund.
With the devasting news of fire in the valley, the timing for this
concert was the catalyst for using this as an opportunity to
support this small but hard-hit community.
The business community have been hugely supportive in their
contributions to some epic raffle packages. Raffle tickets are on
sale at the Opera House. There is an Adventure Pack, Pamper Pack,
Night Away Pack and Gourmet pack – these will be selling for $10 a
ticket.
Funds from the concert and raffles will go to the Mayoral Relief
Fund.
Hopetoun Brown and the genius of Finn Scholes bring vibrant foot
stomping music to the stage and will leave you feeling uplifted – a
certain tonic for anyone needing to export themselves to a good
space. The trio bring trombones, saxophones, tubas, tambourines, a
Rhodes electric piano and a full-size concert vibraphone to the
stage, which will be constantly pulsing with lead singer Tim
Stewart's legendary stomp.
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General Information
• Our current focus remains site safety. We will provide an
update next week on when people might be able to return to houses
that are habitable. It is still too early to confirm how long the
checkpoint will remain in place but we will continue to update
you.
- A reminder that residents need to leave the site by 3pm each
day.
• We have been asked by construction companies when they can
re-enter. This will be managed on a case-by-case basis and approval
will depend on the location and status of surrounding buildings.
Access will be on the same conditions as other contractors ie: work
may need to cease if wind conditions exceed safe limits. At present
there is no electricity supply to the village so alternative
arrangements will need to be made for power supply. If you want to
enquire about commencing work at your site please email
[email protected]
The main reason we need to know about people coming in is to
make sure that they are not working next to a place that is being,
or is about to be demolished.
• Waitaki District Council staff and contractors are on site
working to get services back up and running. Say g’day if you see
them!
• Lake Middleton campground is currently closed. DOC staff are
working on inspecting trees. At least one tree needs to be removed.
At this stage DOC anticipate the camp will be closed until after
Labour weekend.
• A heads-up that ECan are looking to do some wilding pine work
on DoC land and they may seek the assistance of the Emergency
Operations Centre (EOC) for contacts for permission to go onto
private property.
• Fire and Emergency video: FENZ have been in touch and would
like to shoot a video in Twizel or Ohau area next week on Monday
and Tuesday with the theme of the importance of community escape
planning. They are hoping to create messaging on the importance of
community escape planning while it’s fresh in New Zealander’s
minds. FENZ are very mindful about the sensitivity of this issue
with residents, who have been through a lot already. They would
like to film Monday afternoon (from 1pm) and Tuesday next week
(19th and 20th) and are flexible on the location. They will be
driving to and from Christchurch so can meet people anywhere in
between. If there are residents would like to share their stories,
talk about what happened and how they managed to survive as a
community so that New Zealanders as a whole can be better prepared
in future please contact Rebecca at FENZ - 021 745 432 or
[email protected]
• You may have received a WDC rates bill. We know this will feel
a bit a bit rich, truth is the paperwork was at the printers before
the fire. Waitaki District’s Mayor & Councillors have offered a
rates relief for the next quarter for all residences affected by
the Lake Ohau fire. A further assessment will be done looking at
possible waivers of rates for the remaining 2 instalments for the
year. They will likely depend on actual access to properties
etc.
• We plan to end daily newsletters at the end of this week
(Sunday). We intend to move to a weekly newsletter. The weekly
newsletter can include your stories and messages.
• We will continue to use the Facebook group and the Council
website to provide information.
• For ongoing communication, we are considering running a weekly
Zoom meeting. Please reply to this email and let us know if this
would be useful for you. Thanks to those who have already replied –
we’ll let you know if/when these will be starting up.
• Thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding
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Recovery
• Lichelle Guyan has been appointed as the Recovery Manager.
Over this week her focus is co-ordination and site safety. In
future, Lichelle will be available to meet with affected people.
Details to be advised.
• Lake Ohau Drive remains closed with a control point in place
to provide access to those who are authorised to be on site. The
plan is for residents to have access each day from 10am to 3pm.
Contractors will have access between 8am to 6pm.
• Those accessing the site will undergo a health and safety
induction before being allowed on site. Anyone who is not a
resident, contractor or other authorized person will be denied
access. There is currently no access to the general public.
• There is an evacuation point 5kms from the control point in
case the site must be evacuated for any reason.
• There will be security on site between 6pm and 8am.
Infrastructure and services
• Debris: insurers will choose a contractor and decide how and
where debris will be disposed, the Insurance Council is working
with individual Insurers to enable collective efforts.
• Gas connections were being inspected next week and gas bottles
collected. • Electricity - Network Waitaki has restored power to
the main line from Ohau Downs to the
Ohau Lodge but it will be some time before power is restored to
Lake Ohau village. • South Roads and Network Waitaki are working on
isolating power to damaged properties
and capping water supplies. • Note from Chorus - Residents
should be contacting their Telecommunications provider for a
suspension of account as they are not able to use the services
in Ohau • Waste Management Ltd have suspended operations in Ohau
Village, as in they will not be
doing their normal wheelie bin emptying until further notice. •
Lake Ohau Road is open. • Lake Ohau Drive remains closed with a
control point in place.
Daily residents’ meetings at the Twizel events centre
Fewer and fewer people have attended these meetings, and we
decided Monday’s would be the last one as a result. These
newsletters give a summary of anything that has changed, and we
will continue to update you each day for now.
Farmers and landowners outside the village
We acknowledge that yours is a very different journey from that
of the residents of Ohau Village. Please tell us what you need in
the way of information as we want to make sure these newsletters
and other information is relevant for you too.
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Communications
It’s really important that you all talk to each other, not just
so you can share your journey but to make everyone knows what kind
of support is needed. A closed Facebook page has been created
residents to chat with each and discuss their needs. To join,
simply scan the QR code below with your phone to join or access via
this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ohaufire/
Welfare
• You no longer need to make a booking to visit the site. Please
bring your ID to the control point. Access hours for residents and
ratepayers are between 10am and 3pm daily.
• Tanya Coles from Heartland Services in Twizel (1-7 Mount Cook
Street) would like to let residents know that she is there to help.
Heartland Services is a one-stop shop for government and community
services information. Please call (03) 435 0687 or email at
[email protected] even if it’s just to say hello. She’s
received donated goods from the community (including: New clothes,
jandals, underwear, socks, bags and dog rolls as well as a food
bank, ready made meals and toiletries) so might be able to help
with things you need.
• Fond Foods have donated 40 dog rolls to those people who have
been affected by the Ohau Fires. This is non-refrigerated dog roll
that has a shelf-life of 3 months (2.5 months more now), and comes
in 2 flavours, Lamb & Rice and Chicken. This dog roll can be
frozen, but once opened, needs refrigerated. The supply has been
passed to Tanya from Heartland Services, please contact her on (03)
435 0687.
• Work continues assessing the accommodation needs of residents
with a shift to mid to longer term accommodation support.
• We acknowledge residents are extremely tired and that things
have been very difficult for you. Please talk to any of the team
and we will do our best to help.
• The Southern District Health Board says you can phone or text
1737 (https://1737.org.nz ) for free any time to talk to a trained
counsellor. You can make a one-off anonymous call or if you
consider it might be useful to call back another time then request
a case number so that they can try get the same person to save
telling your situation again.
• The DHB also advises that if you do find stress levels are
causing you to lose sleep or having other impacts such as straining
family relationships or drinking more, talk with your GP or a
trusted health professional.
• We have received offers of accommodation from many people. If
you will be travelling to visit or access the site please contact
our welfare team to access this accommodation.
• A variety of funds have been established to collect donations
to support survivors of the fire. The community need to have some
discussions on how these funds might be used.
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Emotional Support messaging
How we deal with a disaster
• Each person’s experience of and feelings about disaster such
as fire are unique. We all react differently to stressful and
traumatic events. Some of the more common reactions may include
loss of appetite or sleepless night, difficulty in concentrating,
feeling anxious, angry or on edge, difficulty in relating to family
or friends who have not shared your experience as well as re-living
the disaster and vivid memories.
• Such reactions are normal and are your mind and body’s way of
making sense of what is happening.
• How to cope with distress feelings · Maintain your normal
routines · Take a break from media. Media portrayal of events can
make them seem even
more overwhelming or distressing · Ask for support from people
who care about you. · Communicate about your own experiences ·
People personally involved in an event often need to share stories
and emotions.
However do not this beyond the level at which they feel
comfortable. Others may not want to talk about it all, and this is
also ok. Remember that there is no right or wrong way to feel
· Remember you have plenty of coping skills, strengths and
resilience. People cope well when they believe they have they have
the ability to manage a stressful events
· Take care of yourself with healthy eating, exercise and plenty
of rest. Give yourself time to adjust. Resilience is the norm, bit
takes a little while to bounce back.
• If you continue to feel like you are not coping or your
reactions are interfering with your ability to experience enjoyment
it may be sensible to access help from a professional such as your
GP
Contacts
The Waitaki Emergency Operations Centre is working with partner
agencies to assist those affected by the Lake Ohau Fire.
Waitaki District Council welfare support contact, 027 213
1508
Ministry of Social Development, 0800 559 009
Otago Rural Support Trust (support for farmers) 0800 RURAL HELP
(0800 787 254)
Victim Support 0800 842 846 or Kelly Katene 027 53 00074
Federated Farmers Nick Abbott 021 805 788
Please contact your insurance company if you haven’t already
done so
Waitaki Emergency Operations Centre contacts
For general enquires please contact [email protected]
