EMCI Tsunami Warning Exercise
Emergency Management Cook Islands (EMCI) and the Ministry of Police will be conducting a tsunami exercise next Wednesday 9 November. The purpose of the exercise is to test the early warning and communications systems in the Cook Islands, according to Charles Carson, director of EMCI. It is being run in conjunction with the Regional Pacific Tsunami Wave exercise, which is being conducted by Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) in Hawaii.
The Ministry of Police is the leading agency for any disaster and they are responsible for disseminating information to other ministries and agencies, including those in the outer islands. The Police Emergency Operational Centre (PEOC) is the office within the Ministry of Police responsible for the area of disaster management and they work closely with EMCI and the Cook Islands Meteorological (Met) Service. EMCI is responsible for advising the Prime Minister of any disaster, as well as distributing information amongst the National Disaster Risk Management Council and other key stakeholders, such as the New Zealand High Commission. Carson added that if there was a national state of emergency where there is a need for outside assistance to be called the National Emergency Operational Centre (NEOC) would take over operations from the PEOC.
The exercise is an opportunity for all sectors of the wider community to conduct their own drills and test the effectiveness of the safety measures and response plans they have in place. It is also a suitable time to contact EMCI to help develop a response plan if organisations do not already have one in place. In a disaster all heads of ministries have a responsibility to ensure safety and security within the ministries such as staff, premises and documents. However Carson commented that “at the same time they have a national responsibility.” So the exercise is an opportunity for ministries and key agencies to coordinate their responses as necessary both internally as well as at a national level.
The exercise will take place on Wednesday 9 November. All enquiries regarding the exercise can be directed to EMCI. -Ngariki Ngatae

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