A Western Waikato Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is operating in Te Awamutu, supporting the Waipā, Waitomo and Ōtorohanga communities during Cyclone Vaianu.

The Centre, Te Whare Ᾱhuru, is coordinating the local Civil Defence response for Ōtorohanga District Council, Waipā District Council and Waitomo District Council, aligned with regional and national Civil Defence efforts.

Controller Dave Simes says the Centre is monitoring the cyclone’s progress across the North Island, with teams on standby to respond and provide support across the Western Waikato as needed. As at 2.30pm 12 April, the districts have avoided the brunt of the cyclone so far, and support is being provided to the small number of affected locations.

The Councils have been monitoring and preparing for the cyclone’s arrival over the past week. The Centre was activated at 7am on Sunday, 12 April, at Waipā District Council. Staff from the three councils are working across a range of functions, including operations, intelligence, planning, public information, welfare and logistics.

Representatives from Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, The Lines Company and Waipā Networks are also in the Centre, supporting the response. All three Councils are providing the latest information on their respective websites and Facebook pages.

Waikato Civil Defence declared a State of Emergency for the region at 9.32am on Saturday, 11 April, as a pre-emptive measure for Cyclone Vaianu. Severe weather warnings and watches issued by MetService will continue to be updated for areas expecting severe gales and heavy rain.

Stay up to date with the latest weather information at MetService.com/warnings.