Team effort to help clean up Waih¯ı Beach after May flooding
After the May 29 weather event, Western Bay of Plenty District Council team members, engineers, contractors and community responders have been doing the rounds of Waih¯ı Beach helping to clean up, make repairs, assess damage and help everyone get back to normal as soon as possible.
Mayor James Denyer visited Waih¯ı Beach immediately after the flooding to see the damage and speak with residents affected by the flooding and again the next day to see the cleanup works.
“In the days after the storm there’s been a hive of activity on the streets of Waih¯ı Beach. And while we know it’ll be a long road to recovery it’s great to see some quick progress being made on the clean up and the initial repairs.
“And once again, I’d just like to acknowledge the community for their resilience and community spirit. The way you pull together to help one another in an emergency is admirable.
“For now, making sure residents are doing okay and have all the basics is our priority. Our team have done wellbeing checks on evacuees and residents who need it and we’re working closely with other government agencies to ensure that everyone gets the help they need.”
The tenants of the 11 flood affected housing units have a team of could people helping them sort through their things, removing wet carpet and cleaning up. While all of the units have been assessed and are not considered dangerous, it’s going to be a while before some of the tenants can move back in.
Making the units habitable with repairs, new wall linings, carpets and new appliances could take up to two months so the council is working on nearby longer-term accommodation for all those who need it.
The council would like to thank the community for coming forward with offers of accommodation.