The new mobile Emergency Operations Centre of the Manawatū District Council was years in the making. Recently unveiled to the public at Family Fun Day in Victoria Park, Feilding, the EOC was a concept in administrators' minds for quite some time. They recognised for a long time that a transportable EOC was essential for Civil Defence emergencies in a region that has a large rural population. Until now, the district's urban-based EOC was all everyone had.
The mobile EOC can be trailered from place to place and set up quickly - usually within a half hour. Once in place, it can accommodate as many as 40 people and shield them well from winds of up to 100km per hour, or about 62 miles an hour.
When discussions began years ago, Cyclone Gabrielle was on people's minds. Hawkes Bay, which is also on the North Island, suffered terribly during the 2023 storm but mobile coordination centres responded quickly there, creating a tent city for communications and other assistance.
The NZ Net newsletter quoted Mayor Helen Worboys, who praised the new EOC and the promise it brings in times of crisis. She said [quote]: "In times of emergency, every second counts, and having a mobile, highly equipped response unit like this will make a tremendous difference in our ability to coordinate effectively and deploy resources quickly.” [endquote]
As the newsletter editors also noted in their report, the new mobile EOC will be ideal for next year's Field Day operations.