Provisional maps have been released today that show the areas in our region that fall under the Government’s three categories of future risk when it comes to flooding and landslides.

The categories were announced last month by the Government, with Category 3 being the most severely affected land.

Last week the Recovery Coordination Centre contacted all property owners whose homes were identified as high confidence Category 3.

This week around 1000 property owners who have homes or land indicatively identified in Category 2 will be sent a letter to inform them about their properties.

Mayor Rehette Stoltz says property owners who fall under Catergory 2 and 3 still have an uncertain time.

“We’ve been told to expect that these maps could still change.

“Further hazard assessment work still needs to be done within Category 2, and some properties could shift within Category 2 or even be shifted to Category 3 or 1.

“If your property is affected you will receive a letter or email from the Recovery Coordination Centre. These letters will tell you why your house is affected and what that means.”

Category 2 has three sub-categories:

• 2C Which means community-level interventions can manage future severe weather event risks
• 2P Which means property-level interventions are needed to manage future severe weather event risk
• 2A Which means these properties will have the potential to require both community-level and property-level interventions, but significant further assessment is required.

For those in Category 1 who were yellow stickered, once repairs have been made and Council has undertaken the necessary inspections, these properties may be lived in.

“As part of the recovery process we’ve made it clear we would communicate directly with our most impacted communities,” says Mayor Stoltz.

“This is unchartered territory for how Aotearoa New Zealand deals with natural disasters of this scale.

“We understand this may be a stressful time for property owners and we want to be able to provide affected owners with as much information as possible.

“While we don’t yet have all the answers, we will share information when the Government rolls out its approach. We expect to hear what that is by the end of the month,” says Mayor Stoltz.

A process is also underway to engage with Māori land owners, including an appropriate process for whenua Māori.

Council will be hosting community hui starting next week with specific dates and venues to be advised.

They’ll be held at Te Karaka, Waipaoa, Waimata Valley, Manutuke, Tolaga Bay and in the city. Drop-in centres at Council are being planned for next week also.

Keep an eye on our website and facebook for further information.

To view the maps online and read more about the Government’s three categories and Q & As related to these please see Council’s website.

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