After the flood . . . more rain
Five homeowners in Edgecumbe were allowed to return home yesterday — but the wait for hundreds of others in the flood-battered town is set to go on for some time yet.
People at five addresses in East Bank Rd were able to go home after water was connected to their houses.
Close to 1600 residents were evacuated after the Rangitaiki River burst its banks on Thursday, flooding much of the town, as the remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Debbie drenched much of the North Island and parts of the South Island.
The flood-zone — and the rest of the country — is on alert for more rain as the week ahead threatens to be another washout.
MetService meteorologist Peter Little said yesterday heavy rain fuelled by moist subtropical air was set to move over the country late Wednesday and could stay until Friday. Thursday was expected to be the wettest day and northeastern areas from Bay of Plenty to Northland would see the worst of it.
“Saturated areas will have some chance to dry out, but it looks like they will get wet again.”
Weather woes may not end there —a tropical cyclone is developing northeast of Vanuatu, Little said.
It looked unlikely to reach to New Zealand, but the possibility of it making it to our sodden shores over Easter could not be ruled out.
In Edgecumbe, a large exclusion zone remains, although the breach in the stopbank has been closed and water levels are dropping.
Whakatane District Mayor Tony Bonne said yesterday he did not know when the rest of the town could go home.
“We are working as fast as we can [but] I don’t want to give any expectations to people. They get really disappointed.”
The power of the river running through people’s homes had caused damage similar to an earthquake, with some houses “tilted” and chimneys toppled, Bonne said. Some would be condemned. There were plans to pump water from the town into canals, but it could take up to two weeks for all the water to recede, he said.
Other homes escaped the floodwaters, but could not be lived in until sewerage and water services were restored.
Animal welfare staff are also in the town, and many pets have been rescued.
Several rural Eastern Bay of Plenty settlements have also been isolated by floodwaters and Bonne, Transport Minister Simon Bridges and Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell will fly into some, including Ruatahuna, Te Whaiti and Minginui, today.
Washed-out roads could take “weeks to months” to fix and opening a forestry route was being considered, Bonne said.
Authorities are also slowly lowering the level of the Matahina Dam, upstream from Edgecumbe, ahead of forecast wet weather.