Report highlights animal wefare in evacuation

When a state of emergency's declared, you might be asked to leave your house almost immediately. The declaration gives authorities the power to enforce an evacuation order, whether or not a householder wants to stay to protect their property, livestock or pets. A detailed report on the response to the Tasman wildfires in February, which triggered the evacuation of 3-thousand people, was released in Richmond yesterday. It found the multi-agency response was efficient and saved lives, but it also says improvement is needed in a few areas, including around animal welfare. The group controller of the Nelson Tasman Emergency Management Group, Roger Ball, told our reporter Tracy Neal at yesterday's media briefing - animal welfare during an emergency is an evolving issue.