NEAR COMPLETION

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20097, 17 November 1939, Page 6

NEAR COMPLETION

EMERGENCY PLANS FOUR REPORTS TO COME WATER OUTSTANDING COUNTY DELEGATES Details of the emergency plans for meeting the consequences to the public of any natural disaster or of enemy action are nearing completion, it was revealed at a meeting of the District Emergency Committee held in Gisborne last evening.

Four reports are still to be completed, the chief of these being water and transportation, and it is expected that these will be finished within a week or two. By the New Year it should be possible to outline fully the alternative schemes of action whichwill apply in respect of any occurrence calling for the evacuation of all or any part of the population of Gisborne.

In the absence of the Mayor, Mr. D. W. Coleman, M.P., who was unable to attend the meeting, Colonel R. F. Gambrill was elected to preside. Others present were Mesdames A, F. Hall, L. T. Burnard and W. Livingston, and Messrs. F. T. Robinson, S. T. Gray, J. E. Gardner, F. Tolerton, J. Thompson, E. R. Thomas, K. F. Jones, W. Jonasen, L. Miles, J. J. Rogers, O. G. Thornton. A. M. Robertson, W. Wade. Inspector G. B. Edwards, and the registrar, Mr. W. M. Jenkins.

Mr. Robinson introduced Mrs. Livingston and Messrs. S. T. Gray, J. J. Rogers and W. Jonasen as representatives of the Cook County organisation, appointed to co-ordinate the efforts of their organisation with that of the borough.

The chairman oifered a warm welcome to the county delegates and also to Mr. Wade, the delegate of the Trades and Labour Council.

Waikohu Preparations

The Waikohu County Council advised that its emergency committee had appointed Mr. A. A. Fraser to act as liaison officer in co-ordinating the Waikohu efforts with the borough.

The Waikohu council also advised that in the event of an emergency requiring evacuation of Gisborne, it could provide accommodation for 240 Europeans and 100 Maoris, providing additional supplies of bedding were made available. The council also suggested that bedding and blankets should be stocked in case of an emergency, and that similar action should be taken with regard to essential food stocks.

Mr. L. Miles, chairman of the supplies committee, commented that il would be difficult to secure emergency stocks, either of blankets or foodstuffs, since there was no surplus to work on at the moment. He considered that if the town was evacuated, people would take their own bedding with them.

The chairman suggested that the Waikohu council’s letter should be referred to the supplies committee for consideration, this being adopted. Reporting on the investigation of emergency water supplies, Mr. O. G. Thornton stated that some progress had been made, but the proposals were not yet formulated in full. One proposal under consideration was the construction of a tank on Kaiti Hill to hold a supply, which would be built up in the winter against summer needs.

Emergency Tank at Kaiti

Mr. Tolerton remarked that if this proposal were adopted, it might be wise to place the tank in close proximity to the Kaiti freezing works, whence the pumps of the works could be coupled in to aid in delivering the water when necessary. A report was received from Mr. Thornton on flood disaster possibilities, the report indicating that even in the event of a flood of exceptional severity, the business district of Gisborne and most of the residential areas would be out of reach of the flood waters. One step favoured by the works committee, in anticipation of an exceptional flood, was that a census of available boats and launches for rescue work should be taken. This had been put in hand already by the borough engineer, Mr. E. R. Thomas. The chairman suggested that the next step for the emergency council should be to have all reports correlated, and to provide all emergency volunteers with a comprehensive view of what would be likely to occur if their services were called upon. There were still four committees’ reports to come to hand, however, and it seemed that no further progress would be possible until all that work was completed. Then it would be possible to get all the volunteers together, perhaps, and place the whole plan of action before them.

Mr. K. F. Jones pointed out that the main issue still unsettled was that of an emergency water-supply. Until that was settled, the other work could not be completed. Mr. Thomas said that the water report could be ready in a fortnight if necessary. Counties’ Co-operation It was decided to call the next meeting when the water report was ready, and to proceed to advise the public of the general scheme as soon thereafter as possible. Mr. Robinson gave an outline of the Cook County preparations, and mentioned that a further public meeting in the county was to be held. He asked that a delegate from the Gisborne council should attend the next meeting in the county, and explain the general character of the plans already drawn.

Mr. Jonasen addressed the meeting briefly on the preliminary work in the county, and emphasised the necessity, in the event of any major disaster, of getting food-stocks salvaged from Gisborne to a place of safe storage in the country. The chairman suggested that the council’s committee should discuss this issue with the chairman of the borough supply committee. It was agreed that co-operation between the town and country committees was essential, and an invitation was extended to members of the country committees to attend any further meetings held in the borough. The chairman and Mr. Thornton agreed to attend the next meeting of the county organisation, and arrangements were made to provide copies of the borough committees’ reports under various heads.

The next meeting of the council was fixed for early in the new year, on a date to be advised by the registrar.