Flood recovery may take ‘years’
NELSON: About 100 floodaffected people pleading for help at a meeting in Nelson have been told it will be a long road to recovery.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated due to landslips and the Maitai River flooding.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was due to arrive in Nelson last night and will be there today to survey the scene.
A state of emergency remains in place for Nelson and Marlborough, and some rivers in the top of the South Island have had their biggest floods on record.
Yesterday afternoon, an engineer, a hydrologist, the region’s mayors and government support agencies met locals at the Saxton Stadium.
Mayor Rachel Reese told those at the meeting that everything possible will be done to help them.
‘‘It’s going to be probably years until we get through this.
‘‘But right now, we have some very immediate needs. And one of the most important needs we have is helping you get back into your homes and get back to your normal daily life.’’
One man pleaded for help. ‘‘Me and our wife . . . when our house went down, we lost everything.
‘‘We’re so devastated because it’s been in our family for many generations, and we’ve lost everything because all that we’ve got is our van to sleep in.
‘‘If anyone could help us that could be real good, financially, get us a new home. Please, help us.’’
In Nelson, 570 properties have been damaged and 284 have been assessed. Nine have been given red stickers, indicating they are uninhabitable.
It is hoped most of the homes damaged will be assessed by late this afternoon.
Council group manager of infrastructure Alec Louverdis said a process was in place to assess them.
Civil defence and emergency services in Marlborough are trying to reach cutoff communities with essential medication and welfare necessities, and move some atrisk patients out.
MetService said while the worst of the heavy rain was over for Nelson and Marlborough, they were not yet in the clear.
Meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said heavy rain was expected today.
Nelson’s total rainfall so far this August had already surpassed the average for this month by more than three times, she said.
Marlborough Mayor John Leggett said the damage to infrastructure varied, and some was ‘‘eyewatering’’. The list of what remained affected included the drinking water supply, cellphone coverage and the power supply in different areas.
Crews were working to fix immediate issues yesterday, but the wider recovery would take years, he said.
‘‘What we do know from the reports that are coming in is that the recovery and welfare phase is going to be a very longterm process. There’s significant damage out there, particularly to roads and some of the community facilities.’’
In the Marlborough Sounds, power repair crews were being deployed by boat and helicopter where road access was cut off.
Blenheim remains cut off from Nelson, with State Highways 63 and 6 extensively damaged by landslips and flooding. The only alternative was a lengthy drive via Lewis Pass.
The Nelson City Council was sourcing water from its neighbour, the Tasman District Council, to service eastern areas such as Stoke while it assesses flood damage to its own network.
The council said the treatment plant was working and doing its job of filtering the water, which continues to be chlorinated and is safe to drink. However, some residents were experiencing discolouration, or a loss of pressure.
Tree debris, known as slash, which was left over from forestry harvesting could worsen the effects of heavy rain and floods, as it clogs drainage points after being washed down from the hills.
In Wellington, where hundreds of slips have followed weeks of rain, authorities warned drivers to take care because some slips and road damage could not immediately be cleared .
The Wellington City Council warned more slips could come down in the next few days as heavy rain continued.
Over two days, 130 weatherrelated incidents had been reported, and at least eight households were evacuated in Wellington on Saturday after slips.
City council chief infrastructure officer Siobhan Proctor said there had been about 550 slips in the past six weeks.
Several roads in the city remained closed, including Takarau Gorge Rd between Johnsonville and Makara, and Harbour View Rd in Northland. Sutherland Cres in Melrose was still closed after a slip fell on to three cars.
The main road in Tawa between Victory and McLellan Sts remained closed.
The Terrace between Ghuznee and Buller Sts also remained closed to traffic following last week’s large slip. Dry weather was needed before geotechnical engineers could decide whether the slip face was stable.
Ngaio Gorge was reopened.— RNZ