Sumner Civil Defence Officers Explain

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31655, 16 April 1968, Page 16

Sumner Civil Defence Officers Explain

A state of emergency should have been declared in Sumner about midday on April 11, according to a joint statement issued by Messrs W. Baguley and B. R. Hansen, warden and deputy warden respectively, for civil defence in Sumner.

Mr Hansen said many questions had been asked about why a state of emergency had not been declared in Sumner during the recent serious flooding and he would like to report what the situation was in Sumner. “There appeared to be a lack of cohesion among the authorities about the whole affair," the statement said. Mr Hansen said the Sumner civil defence decided to open

a welfare centre in the Sumner Community Centre at 7 a.m. on April 12 “without official sanction”. He said he was told that the opening of a centre in Stunner would only duplicate what was already being done at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre. The Civil Defence force, along with the Sumner Round Table went round all homes lin stricken areas in Sumner ]in an effort to find which residents needed help or (evacuation. About 70 loaves land other foodstuffs were distributed to householders in I these areas.

Later in the day. Sumner persons who had been evacuated to the Mount Pleasant Community Centre, were transferred to the Sumner centre. After a radio announcement that a welfare centre had been set up in Sumner, the centre had several demands on its facilities. On April 13, a squad of volunteers and civil defence workers went around Sumner helping to clear the debris left by receding floodwaters The statement said the Sumner Fire Brigade and the Army should have been permitted to help in the clearing of the debris after the flood. “We would like to see a public meeting called in the near future and would like the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) to attend it. There has been talk of a meeting but there has been no mention of Mr Kirk being invited to it,” the statement said. Messrs Baguley and Hansen thanked all who had offered their help to the residents of Sumner last week.