Emergency Management Southland

15/09/2026

👋 We're looking forward to being part of Together We Belong – Meet Your Emergency Services this Saturday!

Come along and meet the organisations that help support Southland communities, learn more about emergency preparedness, and have a chat with the Emergency Management Southland team.

📍 St Joseph’s Playdium, Nith Street
📅 Saturday 19 September
⏰ 1:00pm–4:00pm

Whether you're curious about what we do, want to learn how to be better prepared, or just want to say hello, we'd love to meet you. See you there! 😊

04/09/2026

🏆🎉 Congratulations to Ruru Specialist School! 🎉🏆

Ruru Specialist School is the winner of the Get Ready Schools Challenge!

To celebrate, the school decided to draw a student's name from a hat, and Elloise was the lucky winner of the prize. 🎁👏

Madi and Ollie popped in to deliver the ipad prize and congratulate Elloise in person.

A big well done to everyone at Ruru Specialist School for getting involved in the challenge and showing such great enthusiasm throughout.

And thank you to all the schools that took part. It was fantastic to see so many students and staff getting involved and learning more about being prepared.

Don't forget that New Zealand ShakeOut is coming up on 21 October. It's a great opportunity for schools, workplaces, and households to practise their Drop, Cover, and Hold and make sure they're ready if a strong earthquake happens. 🌏

02/09/2026

Morning all

Those earthquakes near Milford Sound last night were a good reminder that Mother Nature likes to keep us on our toes! 🌎

Did you feel them? Let us know where you were when the shaking happened.

It's also a great opportunity to check your emergency supplies and make sure you and your whānau are prepared for the next event. A little preparation now can make a big difference later.

A wee reminder that Emergency Management Southland is here 24/7. You won't always see us posting or responding publicly to every situation, but we're always keeping a close eye on what's happening across our region. Rest assured, if something occurs that requires our involvement, we'll be onto it and working alongside our partner agencies to support our communities.

Stay safe everyone! 💙

Check out the post below by our friends at Geonet for more information about the earthquakes last night. Spoiler - it wasn't the Alpine Fault.

31/08/2026

Hi folks
Environment Southland have activated their High River Watch for a couple of rivers.
Keep up to date with the latest information here: www.es.govt.nz/floodwarning
Head to envdata.es.govt.nz for the latest river water level data. See less

28/08/2026

🚨Get Your Emergency Kit Sorted This Weekend!

Pop into Mitre 10 MEGA Invercargill this weekend and get your emergency preparedness supplies sorted.

We recommend every household has enough supplies to be self-sufficient for at least 3 days during an emergency, including:

💧 Water (at least 9 litres per person)
🥫 Long-life food and a way to prepare it
🔦 Torch and spare batteries
🩹 First aid kit
💊 Essential medications and medical supplies
🧻 Toilet paper and emergency sanitation supplies
💰 Cash and copies of important documents
🐕 Food and supplies for pets
🎒 A grab bag with essentials in case you need to leave quickly

Remember, getting prepared doesn't have to be expensive or happen all at once. Start small by picking up an extra can of food, packet of pasta, or other non-perishable item each time you do your supermarket shop. Over time, these small steps can build into a well-stocked emergency kit without putting pressure on your budget.

Don't leave it until it's too late. A few simple steps today can make a big difference tomorrow.

23/08/2026

👏 A huge thank you to the PowerNet crews who have done an incredible job restoring power to homes across Southland.

For those areas still experiencing outages, please take extra care when using alternative cooking or lighting methods, such as gas burners and candles. 💡

Wow! It’s been a rough day out there – wind, thunder, lightning, hail and a Transpower fault all thrown in together!

Our crews have worked hard to restore electricity to thousands of customers in Otago and Southland, but we are aware that there are still approximately 300 customers who remain without power.

Crews hope to restore at least 150 of those tonight, but others with more individualised faults could remain without power overnight.

While the official weather warning has lifted, we’re still experiencing some pretty rough weather so further outages are possible.

Hunker down and stay warm and safe tonight.

If you come across damage, please stay clear and call us on 0800 808 587.

Read the full details on our website here: https://powernet.co.nz/2026/08/23/power-restored-for-most-customers/

23/08/2026

🚨 Southland Weather Update

The MetService Strong Wind Warning is expected to end at 2pm today, with the worst of the weather now largely behind us. However, strong and gusty westerly winds are still expected at times through Monday, particularly in exposed areas.

While the warning may be coming to an end, conditions can still be hazardous. Please continue to take care:

🌳 Avoid parks, reserves, and other areas with large trees, as strong winds may still bring down branches or trees.

🚗 Take extra care on the roads, especially if you're driving a high-sided vehicle, towing, or travelling in exposed locations.

This has now been resolved! Transpower are working through a large outage and this is on top of any damage to the network from the wind.

Powernet are working hard so please be patient. Head to the PowerNet facebook for more details.

Service has now been restored. Southland District Council are encouraging everyone to conserve water while they work to restore the service.

Keep updated with Antenno and Facebook for more details

We encourage everyone to continue following MetService forecasts, warnings and advice, and to make sensible decisions based on local conditions.

For more information - https://www.metservice.com/warnings/home

Invercargill City Council Southland District Council Environment Southland Gore District Council PowerNet Southland - Fire and Emergency

20/08/2026

All warnings are now cancelled

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UPDATE 10:10AM Sunday 23rd August 2026

MetService Severe Weather Warnings for Southland

⚠️Situation
Strong, cooler west southwesterlies affect southern and central New Zealand today. Heavy rain has eased, however, severe westerly gales are likely to affect eastern parts of central New Zealand, and also the far south today. Snow is also expected to affect higher roads in the South Island today. People are urged to keep up to date with the latest forecasts.

🟠Strong Wind Warning - Orange
Area: Southland, Fiordland, and Stewart Island
Period: 5hrs from 9:00am Sun to 2:00pm Sun
Forecast: Severe gale westerlies gusting 120 km/h in exposed places, especially south of Gore/Secretary Island. Note, after the warning period ends, westerlies are expected to be gale force at times in exposed places through Monday.
Low chance of upgrading to a Red Warning.
Impact: Damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures possible. Driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.
Action: Prepare your property by securing items that can be picked up by strong winds. Drive cautiously.
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UPDATE 8:55PM Saturday 22nd August 2026

This now includes Fiordland.

MetService Severe Weather Warnings for Southland

⚠️Situation
A series of fronts, embedded within a strong and moist northwest flow, move over New Zealand tonight and Sunday, followed by a change to strong colder southwesterlies. Heavy rain is expected for western areas of the South Island, and severe west to northwest gales are likely to affect many areas on Sunday. Snow is also expected to affect higher roads in the South Island on Sunday. People are urged to keep up to date with the latest forecasts.

🟠Strong Wind Warning - Orange
Area: Southland, Fiordland, and Stewart Island
Period: 9hrs from 5:00am Sun to 2:00pm Sun
Forecast: Severe gale westerlies gusting 120 km/h in exposed places, especially south of Gore.
Note, after the warning period ends, westerlies are expected to remain at gale force in exposed places into Sunday evening.
Low chance of upgrading to a Red Warning.
Impact: Damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures possible. Driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.
Action: Prepare your property by securing items that can be picked up by strong winds. Drive cautiously.

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UPDATE 10:33AM Saturday 22nd August 2026
MetService Severe Weather Warnings for Southland

⚠️Situation
A series of fronts, embedded within a strong and moist northwest flow, move over New Zealand today and tomorrow, followed by a change to strong, colder southwesterlies. Heavy rain is expected for western areas of the South Island from today, and severe west to northwest gales are likely to affect many areas on Sunday. Snow is also expected to affect Central Otago, and the higher roads in the South Island on Sunday. People are urged to keep up to date with the latest forecasts.

🟠Strong Wind Warning - Orange
Area: Southland south of Gore, also Stewart Island
Period: 8hrs from 6:00am Sun to 2:00pm Sun
Forecast: Severe gale westerlies gusting 120 km/h in exposed places.
Low chance of upgrading to a Red Warning.
Impact: Damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures possible. Driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.
Action: Prepare your property by securing items that can be picked up by strong winds. Drive cautiously.

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UPDATE 8:25PM Friday 21st August 2026

MetService Severe Weather Warnings for Southland

⚠️Situation
A series of fronts, embedded within a strong and moist northwest flow, move over New Zealand this weekend, followed by a change to strong, colder southwesterlies on Sunday. Heavy rain is expected for western areas of the South Island from Saturday, and severe west to northwest gales are likely to affect many areas on Sunday. Snow is also expected to affect higher roads in the South Island on Sunday. People are urged to keep up to date with the latest forecasts.

🟠Strong Wind Warning - Orange
Area: Southland south of Gore, also Stewart Island
Period: 10hrs from 6:00am Sun to 4:00pm Sun
Forecast: Severe gale westerlies gusting 120 km/h in exposed places.
Low chance of upgrading to a Red Warning.
Impact: Damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures possible. Driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.
Action: Prepare your property by securing items that can be picked up by strong winds. Drive cautiously.
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Morning all

📢See below the update from MetService regarding a Wind Warning for Southland.

⚠️Situation
A couple of fronts, embedded in a strong and moist northwest flow, move over New Zealand this weekend, followed by a change to strong, colder southwesterlies on Sunday. Heavy rain is expected for western areas of the South Island from Saturday, and severe west to northwest gales are likely to affect many areas on Sunday. Snow is also expected to affect higher roads in the South Island on Sunday. People are urged to keep up to date with the latest forecasts.

🟠Strong Wind Warning - Orange
Area: Southland south of Gore, also Stewart Island
Period: 12hrs from 4:00am Sun to 4:00pm Sun
Forecast: Severe gale westerlies gusting 120 km/h in exposed places.
Low chance of upgrading to a Red Warning.
Impact: Damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures possible. Driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.
Action: Prepare your property by securing items that can be picked up by strong winds. Drive cautiously.

Visit MetService New Zealand for more information: https://www.metservice.com/warnings/home -south

19/08/2026

🎉 WIN a Family Emergency Grab Kit! 🎉

👉 HEAD OVER TO THE original Mitre 10 MEGA Invercargill post, follow the entry instructions, and be in to win!

Our friends at Mitre 10 MEGA Invercargill are giving away a fantastic 4-Person Emergency Grab Bag packed with essential supplies to help keep your whānau safe and prepared during an emergency.

A grab bag keeps your most important essentials together in one easy-to-carry bag, ready to go if you ever need to leave home quickly.

🛒 While you're there, check out Mitre 10 MEGA Invercargill's range of emergency preparedness products and supplies. It's a great time to stock up on items for your household emergency kit, with preparedness products available through to 31 August.

Mitre 10 MEGA Invercargill

COMPEITION CLOSED.

🚨 WIN WIN WIN 🚨

Family Emergency Grab Kit! 🙌
We're giving away a 4-Person Emergency Grab Bag, packed with essential supplies to help keep your family safe and prepared if an emergency occurs.

To Enter:
✅ Like this post
✅ Follow our page
✅ Tag your go-to emergency buddy! 👇
✅ Tell us in the comments what’s an essential item you’d never want to be without in an emergency 🤔

🎒 A grab bag is a great addition to your full emergency kit. It keeps the most important essentials together in one easy-to-carry bag, so if you need to leave home quickly, you can grab it and go. This one has plenty of space left in it to add in your own personal touches and the things that matter most to you and your family.

Being prepared doesn't have to be complicated, and we're here to help you get started.

Competition closes Monday 25th August 2026 at 12PM. Prize must be collected from Mitre 10 MEGA Invercargill.

14/08/2026

🎉 What a great day at Eastern Southland Clued Up Kids 2026!

Some of our Emergency Management team, Tom, Ollie, and Madi, enjoyed spending the day with local students, sharing emergency preparedness tips and talking about how we can all be ready for emergencies. They also had the chance to experience what an earthquake can feel like with a shake in our Earthquake Simulator!

Clued Up Kids provides local students with hands-on learning experiences from a range of agencies and organisations, helping them build important life skills and learn how to stay safe in everyday situations in a fun and interactive way.

Thanks to everyone who helped organise the day and to the students who brought their energy and enthusiasm.

📷 Here are a few snapshots from the event!