Westport’s enhanced evacuation plan endorsed by West Coast Emergency Management Joint Committee

20 Nov 2025

The enhanced Westport Flood: Evacuation Response Plan was endorsed by the West Coast Emergency Management (WCEM) Joint Committee at its quarterly meeting today.

The Plan, developed by WCEM, as part of the Resilient Westport programme of work, aims to:

  • provide critical information needed to guide decisions about when an evacuation is necessary,
  • estimate numbers of evacuees, their capabilities, and the different levels of support required for assisted evacuees,
  • guide initial public communications about the evacuation, and
  • outline specific evacuation phases, processes and tasks, and inform more detailed operational planning and decision-making.

The Plan incorporates feedback from key stakeholders. It is primarily intended for Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Controllers, Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) staff and the services and organisations directly involved in conducting a flood-related evacuation of Westport and surrounding areas such as Carters Beach and Snodgrass Road.

Manager West Coast Emergency Management Claire Brown says the Plan is a living document that will be updated and amended over time and as new learnings come to light.

“For example, we recently tested estimates in the Plan in our Self-Evacuation survey. Although it was a relatively small sample, it showed a couple of results that gives us food for thought as we go forward. It helped us with checking estimates of community capabilities and confirming where further information or consideration may be needed.

“A lot of our work to-date has been with the people who will manage an evacuation in a flood or other emergency. Our next priority is to work with the local community to ensure that the majority of households have information about:

  • how evacuation decisions are made and delivered (channels),
  • what they should do if an evacuation is recommended/directed and how they should prepare (have their own plan),
  • where to get key information about a developing flood situation (eg, river levels and what they mean), and
  • evacuation timeframes and safe places that will be available for those who do not have other places to go.

Ms Brown says more information will be coming on that in the first half of next year.

The CDEM Resilient Westport work is supported by central government’s $22.9m commitment towards making Westport more flood resilient, following the floods of 2021 and 2022. This work is part of a wider response in addition to building flood walls.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Resilient Westport Communications team
media@resilientwestport.co.nz 

See our media release on the survey results below:
https://www.resilientwestport.co.nz/news/media-release-emergency-management-survey-results-released