NZDF helps Southland regions after severe weather

Last week, much of the South Island was struck by a large weather event leading to major outages and severe flooding.

To support the affected communities, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) worked NEMA Emergency Management Assistance Team (EMAT) and Civil Defence providing emergency response efforts to the Southland and Clutha regions.

One of the new RNZAF’s C-130J-30 Super Hercules’ | Photo: Noah Stohr-Waldren

On October 25th a C-130J Hercules was deployed from Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Base Auckland (Whenuapai) carrying portable generators and transporting EMAT and Civil Defence Management personnel to Invercargill.

The next day, a second C-130J flight from Whenuapai down to Invercargill operated carrying more generators for the region.

Personnel from the NZDF’s Burnham Military Camp were also deployed to support Southland communities.

Local New Zealand Defence Force Reserves are also providing emergency response capacity for rural welfare checks and delivering information in the Southland area, as communications slowly come online.  

Trained Reserves deploy with local knowledge, and enable other NZDF personnel to be able to respond elsewhere should the need arise.

This emergency response highlights the NZDF’s commitment to supporting our communities when necessary such as after severe weather events.