Call For “Shake-up” In Civil Defence

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31654, 15 April 1968, Page 10

Call For “Shake-up” In Civil Defence

“I am dumbfounded that the Civil Defence Officer for six Christchurch local bodies (Mr J. F. Moffat) can claim that he was fully informed and in constant touch with the situation when for six hours after 11 p.m. he was apparently home in bed,” said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk), M.P. for Lyttelton, last evening.

He was commenting on replies to his criticism of the Civil Defence organisation when areas of Sumner and other suburbs along the Heathcote River were flooded on Thursday night.

“I am even more dumbfounded that the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Seath) should have regarded this as highly satisfactory,” said Mr Kirk.

“It is not and I am more convinced than ever that before the control of this organisation can be regarded as dependable it needs a darn good shake-up. “A lot of people who have lost floor coverings and other furnishings would have had the chance to avoid this loss if they had been warned in time. The sheer inadequacy of people in the flooded area was the principal cause of this.

“Mr Moffat says that he telephoned the police at 11 p.m. Presumably this was for the last time and was the last contact he had until I rang him at 4.45 a.m. “The Heathcote River broke its banks near midnight and Mr Moffat might well note that it was only after I rang him and went to the Central Police Station personally that steps were taken to open the

first control in the flood area and this took place at 6 a.m., or seven hours after Mr Moffat’s last telephone call. “In this time many homes were flooded and much property damaged,” said Mr Kirk TAKE ACTION “I think that Civil Defence had a duty, even though it had chosen not to recommend to the Mayor that an emergency be declared, to take the necessary action to keep informed as to developments. “Had the police decided to call out Civil Defence, there would have been at least an hour lost while the controlling official got for himself the necessary first-hand information. That this situation should exist at the start of the third day of damage from the storm makes one wonder what sort of chaos would exist if the emergency had come out of the blue—an emergency such as an earthquake. “A lot of time and a lot of money have been spent on Civil Defence yet the experience of the early hours of Friday morning shows there is yet to be developed a really dependable central control. “The people in Civil Defence, that is, district war

dens, local officials, and members of organisations such as Red Cross, were eagerly ready, willing and able to turn out They were not called. The fault is not their’s —it is al the centre. QUESTIONS ASKED “However, it is no use crying over spilt milk. It was spilt needlessly, it is true, but the main concern is to hate an improvement effected, and I would be interested to know the answers to the fol lowing questions:— “L. Why an officer as important as the Christchurch Civil Defence Officer, who serves six local authorities, is not officially listed in the Christchurch telephone directory? Unless anyone knows the C.D.O.’s initials and private address they could not Identify his private telephone number.

“2. Why is there no tele phone listed that is constantly manned and to which inquiries could be made and directed to the appropriate official?

“3. Why, after more than two days of the storm, were evacuated people taken to a totally-unprepared depot? Surely, somewhere, a pro-perly-equipped and manned depot should have been in being against possible evacuations.

“4. Why did it take six hours from the time the river broke its banks until the first control point was set up in the flood area?

“5. Why were people not warned as early as midnight through the flooded area of the deteriorating conditions in order that they could put floor coverings and other possessions up beyond the reach of the flood?

“6. Why did the Civil Defence Officer make no attempt after 11 p.m. to gain for himself first-hand information on the position? “7. Why were not civil defence personnel, who were ready and indeed expecting a call, called upon to help? “8. Why was there a complete absence in any area of any attempt to divert floodwaters with sandbags, or in other ways? It appears there were several places where relatively small works could have avoided damage. OTHER WORKERS

“1 want to make it clear that in criticising the ‘dead’ centre of civil defence 1 make no criticism of the wonderful band of people who worked on Thursday and earlier, and on Friday, after the crisis had passed, to do all they could to help,” said Mr Kirk.

“Some undoubtedly are in civil defence, but they had not been called on to help in that capacity. In addition to police, Army and Air Force, there were, yesterday and today, council employees, members of voluntary organisations, neighbours, and friends, all slogging away to help one another.

“One cannot see this without being impressed with the infinite decency and goodness of the average man,” he said. “It is a pity that their spirit had not been matched by some show of initiative in the area of civil defence control.”