Civil Defence Status Levels

A guide to the status levels and descriptions

No Current Emergency

No civil defence emergency. This does not mean that a sudden event cannot occur at any time. Here are some suggestions on how you should be ready.

Weather Warning

When the Metservice issues a new warning the status will change to 'Weather Warning'. When the event actually starts the Civil Defence status will change to 'Alert or Activated' depending on the events severity.

Alert

We have been alerted to a possible situation by:

• Metservice and the event has started, or
• Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, or
• Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, or
• Other warning systems such as telemetry / flood warning.

Civil Defence is in a monitoring and information gathering mode.

Activated

A hazard or event of significance is imminent or is occurring and has impacted or may impact on the CDEM Group Area and requires the activation of the Group Emergency Operations Centre (GEOC).

Declaration

A state of local emergency declared under section 68 or section 69 of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002. An emergency means a situation that:

Is the result of any happening, whether natural or otherwise, including, without limitation, any explosion, earthquake, eruption, tsunami, land movement, flood, storm, tornado, cyclone, serious fire, leakage or spillage of any dangerous gas or substance, technological failure, infestation, plague, epidemic, failure of or disruption to an emergency service or a lifeline utility, or actual or imminent attack or warlike act; and

causes or may cause loss of life or injury or illness or distress or in any way endangers the safety of the public or property in New Zealand or any part of New Zealand; and

cannot be dealt with by emergency services, or otherwise requires a significant and co-ordinated response under the Act.

State of national emergency

Declared under Section 66 of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002.