Manawatu help for 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.
‘‘It’s going to take a very long time to bring it back.’’
Davies was ‘‘just part of a big machine’’ that was helping in a time of stress, he 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.
A police spokesman said their main role was to prevent people from entering dangerous areas and to prevent any opportunistic burglars.
Once Cyclone Cook passed, the risk to the township diminished and cordons were lifted on Saturday, he said. ‘‘The experience of policing a flood-stricken area was positive, knowing that the team was able to offer support to those going through a difficult time and whose lives will forever be changed by the flooding.’’