• Childcare centres remain closed

Flood cleanup continues for Napier early-learning services, with some closed until next week at the earliest.

While Henry Hill School in Pirimai was the only Napier school still shut yesterday, there were five early learning centres still to reopen.

One, Ashridge Road Playcentre, could remain closed for a month or more, depending on an assessment from their insurers.

Centre member Carolyn Morris, one of the first on the scene when the flooding started on Monday evening, said the insurers need to check the walls as well as vinyl flooring, which may need to be pulled up.

Morris said water got through cracks in the vinyl, wetting the surface underneath, so they are in limbo until the assessor makes a determination.

“Then we can move forward, which will be great,” she said.

Morris said she reached the centre about 45 minutes before water got into the building, and she and others managed to get almost everything off the floors.

But the carpets were ruined and they lost a lot of shelving, cabinets and play equipment.

She said the community had been helping out and running outdoor sessions for the children at places such as Spriggs Park.

“We’re really resilient, and we’ll bounce back and have a better centre for it,” Morris said.

Sunny Days Licensed Early Childhood Centre in Marewa was also closed yesterday, but manager Cathy Grigsby said they were hopeful of opening on Monday.

“We’ve got some artificial floor covering in our courtyard that has to be uplifted and replaced.

“And quite a big job will be replacing our two sandpits. Because of the dirty water that was flowing through, it’s not safe for children because children put things in their mouths.”

Grigsby said there was water “a couple of feet” up the side of the building’s exterior when she arrived on Tuesday morning.

“We met the insurance people here on Wednesday morning, and we were really worried that we were going to walk into a huge mess,” she said.

There was rubbish and debris everywhere outside, but Grigsby said she was hugely relieved to walk through the door to limited interior damage.

“I know there’s a lot of places far worse off than we are, we’ve been so lucky,” she said.

According to the Ministry of Education, the other three early learning services still closed yesterday were Little Magpies Childcare Centre, Te Ko¯hanga Reo o E Tipu E Rea Taraia, Te Ko¯hanga Reo o Te Ku¯ penga o Te Ma¯tauranga, situated onsite at Henry Hill School.