23 May 2014

Quake lessons included in CD review

3:58 pm on 23 May 2014

A review of the National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan has included lessons learned from the Canterbury earthquakes.

The plan, which guides the response of local and central government and emergency services to Civil Defence emergencies, goes out for consultation on Friday.

As part of the five-yearly review, changes have been made to encourage councils to collect information on how earthquake-prone buildings are and what their heritage value is. The last review was put on hold due to the Canterbury earthquakes.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye said proposed changes include making better use of the help offered by groups such as Christchurch's Student Volunteer Army.

Ms Kaye said a lesson learned from them is how to better mobilise groups of volunteers through the use of social media.

Another $200,000 has been allocated to expand the Youth in Emergency Services programme, which aims to increase the number of young people volunteering to help in Civil Defence emergencies, she said.