Community meetings for Edgecumbe residents
Two community meetings will be held today for residents evacuated from their homes. The first will be held at 4pm at Rautahi marae in Kawerau. The second will be held at 6pm at the Whakatāne War Memorial Hall.
Local representatives, as well as members of the Whakatāne Emergency Response Team, will be there to answer any questions the community may have.
Flood-affected residents whose homes are damaged are being urged to report them to Whakatāne District Council by calling its free phone number, 0800 306 0500.
In Edgecumbe alone, 1600 people have been displaced by the breaching of the floodwall on the Rangitāiki River. The Edgecumbe township remains cordoned off to ensure public safety while flood waters are still being managed and pumped away and to protect people from sanitation risks associated with sewage system failures and surface water contamination.
A breach repair is in place and working well so water is not continuing to flow into Edgecumbe anymore. Water levels continue to drop around the Edgecumbe area; however we still anticipate the area will take 7-10 days to dry.
Residents may be away from their homes for up to 10 days and some Tāneatua residents have also been evacuated due to flooding, which has prompted concerns about pets’ welfare.
Whakatāne Emergency Response Team, with support from the SPCA, has been working together to search for animals in Edgecumbe. Residents in need of animal welfare support should call 0800 306 0500.
Due to the risk of contamination from flood waters a boil water notice remains in effect for Tāneatua residents, alongside Te Teko/Mapou, Edgecumbe, Awakeri, Braemar and the entire Rūātoki and the Rangitāiki Plains areas.
Only authorised people are permitted inside the cordons. Anyone concerned about security and looting should contact Whakatāne District Council on 0800 306 0500 and indicate which place they are concerned with.
Further information
Flows in the Rangitāiki river during its peak on Thursday exceeded 900 cubic metres per second which is estimated to be between a 200-500 year event.
The Rangitāiki and Whakatāne/Tauranga rivers reached the highest peak flows on record.

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