Post-flood Recovery – Update 18

A total of 864 welfare visits have been carried out across the Rotorua district, to date, following the storm on the 29th of April.

The Rotorua Civil Defence Emergency Operations Centre, which is transitioning from an immediate response phase to Recovery, is continuing to build a map of three key areas of information:

• The welfare of people affected by the storm and flooding in Ngongotahā
• Property inspections, primarily to assess flood damage, to check homes are liveable
• Damage to infrastructure including roads and drains
Rotorua’s Civil Defence Acting Controller, Bruce Horne, says the primary focus remains the wellbeing of Rotorua residents.

“Our GIS (Geographic Information System) team has started mapping out where the 864 welfare visits have been carried out. The map will also pinpoint where the 250 building inspections have been done with 86 of those homes being identified as uninhabitable,” says Mr Horne.

Civil Defence Recovery Manager, Andy Bell, says the response team are currently verifying the data and following up with affected families, including those who’ve been displaced, and seeing what support they require.

“What’s clear is that everyone who has been affected is faced with different circumstances. This includes people whose homes have been flooded and are currently in emergency accommodation while someone else may have damage to the outside of their home for example. Each person and family is different and our main aim for Recovery, via Civil Defence support and other agencies such as health services, government agencies, is to ensure we are catering to the needs of the people who’ve been affected,” says Mr Bell.

“Our Intelligence team is currently working with GIS to double check the data that has been collected over the past 10 days.”

Mr Bell says the Emergency Operations Centre’s Intelligence team is currently analysing the data that’s been received to provide an overview of the situation to the Recovery team and agencies that can provide support and accommodation for those in need.

The Emergency Operations Centre team is exploring questions including:

• Where people, who have left their homes, are currently staying?
• How many people need temporary accommodation while their homes are being repaired?
• How many of the 86 properties, deemed as uninhabitable, are tenanted?
• And how many of those uninhabitable homes are owned by the occupier?
“This more detailed information is essential to the Recovery transition. We now have a good overall picture of what’s happened but now need to drill down to identify the particular needs of each person or whānau who’ve been affected,” says Mr Horne.

Roading

About 25 road maintenance jobs still remain including:

• Work to address a major underslip near the Buried Village on Tarawera Road, which is down to a single lane
• A small underslip near the top of Mountain Road

Stream assessments

Bay of Plenty Regional Council has been inspecting streams in Rotorua.

• It has checked the Ngongotahā, Utuhina, Puarenga, Awahou, Waiteti Streams in response to a number of queries about erosion and debris
• The clearing of vegetation in the Ngongotahā Stream bed between State Highway 5 and Ngongotahā Road will start this week

Please remember

• If you have been affected by the severe weather on April 29, please contact Council free on 0800 020 001
• Or if you know someone who hasn’t contacted Council and has been affected please ring us on 0800 020 001
• We want to ensure we know of everyone who needs help, to find out what their issues are, and how we can support them through the multiple agencies we are working with

Donations

• Please remember, if you wish to make a donation to help people who have been affected, you can give a koha (donation) via:
Account number: 02-0412-0234516-006
• How: Direct Credit or in person at Rotorua Lakes Council building.
• Details: No specific statement details are needed.
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