Whakatāne District residents who are concerned about floodwater damaging their properties during heavy rain events can now purchase sandbagging materials from local business Tracks Concrete.

Whakatāne District Council General Manager Planning and Regulatory Services, David Bewley, says the Council is not able to carry out sandbagging of private properties during flood events. 

“While the Whakatāne Emergency Response Team of 15 volunteers has helped out whenever possible during past events, they simply do not have the resources to respond to all the requests for help at these times,” he says. “We have talked to local contractors Tracks Concrete, who have agreed to hold a stock of sandbags, so landowners can purchase these and the sand required to fill them.”

Sandbags are an effective way of diverting flood water away from low-lying buildings, and with Tracks Concrete now offering to supply sandbags and sand, the owners of properties in flood-prone areas will have access to a simple and cost-effective way of reducing property damage. 

Eastern Bay of Plenty Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Tetlow says MetService severe weather warnings provide useful information for people to act on, but those warnings don’t necessarily occur in a timeframe that allows an effective response. “Tracks has kindly offered to make sandbags and sand available outside normal operating hours, under emergency circumstances, but we would recommend that property owners who have experienced flood damage in the past should take a precautionary approach and be prepared for future events.”

Whakatāne Emergency Response Team Manager Tony Gillard has welcomed the initiative and says it will allow volunteers to focus their efforts on “assisting the Fire Service to pump water away from flooded properties, protecting key lifeline infrastructure, and carrying out evacuations”.

Tracks Concrete says sandbags can be purchased between 9 am and 5 pm Monday to Friday, and 9 am – 12 pm on Saturdays. “If the need arises, we will open our yard outside those hours to provide an emergency service, but in such situations, any delay could be critical, so we’d certainly advise people to plan ahead and take action now.”

Tracks Concrete is located at 19 Arawa Road, Whakatāne. Residents can call 07 307 0581, or visit Tracks to purchase sandbags and sand.

Leaflets explaining how to fill and place sandbags to get the maximum flood protection benefit are available from Tracks Concrete and Whakatāne District Council Customer Services. Information is also available on the "What to do in a flood" page.