An Otago Regional Council (ORC) Flood Alert Service survey which began in December 2020 will close at the end of January. The survey aims to find out how best to communicate with Otago residents about flood information and updates. While the survey has been open since before flooding at the start of January, such weather events are a good reminder of the importance of effective tools for informing the public.

ORC is asking the communities across Otago if they are aware of the flood alert service, and whether they find the service useful if they are subscribers. Information about flood events and alert service is available via the ORC website and Facebook page.

ORC Manager Natural Hazards Dr Jean-Luc Payan says the results of the survey will be used to determine how ORC updates Otago communities on critical flood information during heavy rainfall events.

“It’s important to ORC that we deliver flood information on the onset or during of heavy rainfall events in a way that suits our communities’ needs. Our role is to ensure that people are getting the right information in a timely manner. This survey will help us to understand if we need to adapt the way we communicate urgent flood information, and how best to do that to meet changing community needs.”

This survey has been open on ORC’s YourSay page (https://yoursay.orc.govt.nz/flood-alert-service) since December 2020, and will remain open until 31 January.