Manawatu help sent to Edgecumbe
A Palmerston North emergency manager helped stressed and emotional Edgecumbe residents after floodwaters washed through hundreds of homes in the Bay of Plenty town.
Palmerston North City Council emergency management officer Stewart Davies was part of the team assisting residents recover from the flooding caused by Cyclone Debbie.
Davies was called to the town on March 11, nearly a week after a flood damaged more than 300 homes.
His role was to co-ordinate and ensure the safety of building inspectors, residents and business owners who were entering and leaving the cordoned zones.
Davies said the impact of the weather on the community was massive.
‘‘There was a lot of emotion and stress.’’
Fourteen houses needed to be demolished, 235 houses required repairs before people could move back, and only 93 homes were safe to occupy, Davies said.
One of the biggest fears while Davies was there was the ‘‘cookie monster’’, Cyclone Cook, which threatened to hit the town just one week after it flooded.
People were on high alert and the weather forecast was constantly monitored, Davies said.
Cyclone Cook did not cause too much havoc in Edgecumbe, but it toppled trees and caused power outages, Davies said.
Davies returned to Palmerston North at the weekend, but said the community would have ongoing challenges and was still very much in recovery mode.
Nine Central District police staff, including some from Palmerston North and Levin, also helped at cordoned areas in Edgecumbe.