IMPORTANT MESSAGE 4
for people living in the Bay of Plenty - RENA - Ship Grounding Volunteers The wild weather has continued over the last couple of days and is not doing Rena and our community any favours. It is extremely difficult to look at the devastating images of our beautiful coastline however the support from the community and across the country is something we can all be proud of. The number of people that have put their hands up to volunteer can be simply described as ‘overwhelming’. A volunteer beach clean up programme approved by Minister Steven Joyce will be led by Mayor Stuart Crosby, Mayor Ross Paterson and Chairman John Cronin of the local councils. This will enable an efficient and safe response to the clean up. Tomorrow we will announce the venues where you can go to receive training, collect gear and be organised into teams. If you have not yet volunteered for beach clean up and you want to please call 0800 645 774 or register at www.boprc.govt.nz/oilspillvolunteers. If you have already registered the incident control centre will contact you sometime in the next three days to arrange rostering.
Being informed The oil spillage on the beaches combined with the current weather conditions has produced in some areas a noticeable smell in the areas of the beaches. This smell is likely to diminish over a period of one or two hours from the time the oil has reached the beach. Some people in the vicinity may experience some physical discomfort so it is advised they should shut windows or avoid the immediate vicinity of the beaches and avoid all immediate or secondary contact with the oil spillage. If anyone experiences any discomfort they should move away to an area of fresh air. • Please stay off the beaches and use your common sense • Do not touch the oil or attempt to clean up the oil as it is toxic • Do NOT touching affected shellfish of oil.
Photos - Left to right: Stuart Crosby, Ross Paterson and John Cronin
If you have already registered by phone or email to be involved in beach clean up the incident control centre will contact you sometime in the next three days to arrange rostering.
take shellfish to eat. Avoid or collecting shellfish in any areas. Avoid eating fish and if it appears to smell or taste
Volunteers will need to receive training, collect gear and be organised into teams. If you haven’t yet volunteered for beach clean up and you want to please call:
0800 645 774
www.boprc.govt.nz/oilspillvolunteers
Containers Some of the containers have now come off board Rena. This means that they may wash up on the beaches. Photo: Blue-eyed penguin feeling the effects of the oil spill
Community briefings Papamoa
If you accidently come into contact with the oil:
Venue:
• Wash it off with soap and water, baby oil or petroleum jelly.
When:
• Do not use solvents, gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel or similar products on your skin
Thursday, 13 October at 1.00pm Friday, 14 October at 6.00pm
Venue:
Papamoa College (Theatre)
• If you get the oil in your eyes, rinse with water for 15 minutes
Guest:
Prime Minister, Rt Hon John Key
When:
Friday, 14 October at 2.30pm
• Breathing in the vapour can cause irritation in mouth, nose throat and lungs. Move out of the area as quickly as possible
If symptoms persist, see your GP or Emergency Department for advice.
or register at
Papamoa Sport and Recreation Centre
If you see any containers, please call:
0800 OIL SPILL immediately to give them the location. Ideally, please give them the beach access number that the container is closest to, or any other noticeable landmark. The 0800 OIL SPILL call centre will notify Police and other emergency services. Please do not attempt to open any of the containers. It is an offence to open or retrieve anything from them.
Address: Gordon Spratt Reserve, Parton Road, Papamoa
Address: 151 Doncaster Drive, Papamoa
Mount Maunganui Venue:
Mount Maunganui College Hall
Address: Maunganui Road, Mount Maunganui When:
Thursday, 13 October at 6.00pm Friday, 14 October at 1.00pm
Boaties information At the request of Maritime New Zealand the Bay of Plenty Regional Harbour Master has extended the exclusion zone around the grounded cargo ship Rena. For more information on this, please visit: www. maritimenz.govt.nz/incident This situation is expected to continue for some time and the exclusion zone is being monitored. Anyone found breaching the exclusion zone could be fined up to $20,000.