Amid Napier damage, 22 homes to go so far
NAPIER: Hawke’s Bay’s Civil Defence controller says 67 homes are not habitable after the Napier flood and expects that figure to rise.
Officials in Napier met yesterday morning to discuss the next steps as the cleanup in the floodaffected city moves up another gear.
Ian Macdonald said of the 67 homes not habitable, 22 had severe damage and would need to be pulled down. One had been destroyed.
Most of those were located on the hill in Napier, he said. He expected the numbers to increase.
He also revealed the Napier City Council was appointing a recovery manager to oversee activities helping people into accommodation and fixing homes that could be salvaged.
‘‘This is probably months’ worth of recovery,’’ he said.
Earlier, Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said the housing crisis in Napier would make finding longerterm accommodation for flood victims harder, but that all options were being looked at.
Ms Wise said nearly 330 properties had been inspected.
On Tuesday evening, an influx of evacuees meant a motel in Hastings was used to house people, after the evacuation centre in Napier filled up.
Ms Wise told RNZ there were 100 people listed in evacuation centres, and assessments were under way to determine how long they would need emergency accommodation.
Agencies would meet to find longerterm options, but she said there was no risk of people being put out on to the street.
‘‘The majority of them are in our own councilrun facility, Kennedy Park, and we’ve actually made a commitment that they can stay there for as long as they need to while we look for longerterm options.’’
Kainga Ora and Ministry of Social Development staff were looking at longerterm options, but with the housing shortage and many families currently on a waiting list for housing, sourcing accommodation had its difficulties, she said.
‘‘All options will be considered. We have a number of motels and accommodation provided here in Napier that are already housing those on the emergency list. So there is an option there if they have spare units there at the moment.’’
Assessments were also under way to determine whether houses would be torn down after 13 homes were deemed severely damaged by the flood, she said.
The government allocation of $100,000 towards emergency relief was a starting point, and there would be ongoing discussions over further financial requirements.
‘‘We are trying to quantify what the likely financial implications are for our most impacted community members and the $100,000 is just great to be able to get in quickly for those who need that welfare support immediately.’’
The MetService stated the weather system that caused the damage had moved offshore, and dry, warm weather was forecast for Napier until Monday. — RNZ