The following summarises the known impacts on District infrastructure from the recent severe weather and flooding events in April 2017.
Overview of the situation
The overview is followed by all media updates issued to this point, with newest updates appearing first.
Road closure information
Boil water notice lifted
Multiple areas of the District were under a boil water notice due to the risk of contamination. This notice has now been lifted for all those on a Council supply. Property owners with their own water supply who may have been impacted by the flood event may wish to have it tested.
Online registration for those affected by flooding in the Eastern Bay of Plenty who need assistance
If you need assistance and have not already registered at a Civil Defence Centre, please register online. Please note that we have been told Internet Explorer has issues displaying the form, so we recommend using Chrome or Safari as your browser.
Overview
The following documents provide a summary of the situation from NZ Government.
- Bay of Plenty Floods Fact Sheet - (PDF, 58 KB)
- Bay of Plenty Floods Fact Sheet (Māori version) - (PDF, 63 KB)
Cyclone Cook - damage to roads and power grid
- Cyclone Cook's high winds left multiple downed trees and slips throughout the District, causing numerous road closures which may not be resolved for some time.
- Multiple downed power lines resulted in loss of electricity to several parts of the District. Horizon Energy has restored power to all areas and is now focusing on individual customer faults.
- For health reasons, any standing stormwater should be treated as potentially contaminated.
Flooding
- 1600 Edgecumbe people were displaced by the breaching of the floodwall on the Rangitāiki River.
- Flood-affected residents whose homes are damaged should report them to Whakatāne District Council by calling the free phone number, 0800 306 0500.
- This was a significant weather event with the Rangitaiki and Whakatane/Tauranga rivers reaching the highest peak flows on record
- Updated road closure information »
- State Highway closures are posted on NZTA's website »
Animals
- Whakatāne Emergency Response Team, with support from SPCA, the Ministry for Primary Industries and Massey University experts worked together to search for animals in Edgecumbe.
- Residents in need of animal welfare support should call 0800 306 0500.
Boil water notice lifted
Multiple areas of the District were under a boil water notice due to the risk of contamination. This notice has now been lifted for all those on a Council supply. Property owners with their own water supply who may have been impacted by the flood event may wish to have it tested.
Kerbside Rubbish/Recycling Collections
- Anyone dropping off greenwaste that was produced by storm damage may do so free of charge. Take your greenwaste to the Whakatāne Transfer Station.
Road information
Healthcare information
For healthcare information, visit Bay of Plenty District Health Board »
Post-flood health and safety
Toi Te Ora Public Health Service has a wealth of information on health and safety precautions to take in a post-flood environment.
Recovering from flood damage and making insurance claims
The Insurance Council of New Zealand has some guidelines on:
27 April, 11:05 am
In the aftermath of Cyclone Cook, a number of roads in the District have experienced outages of all street lights. These outages have been caused by faults in the power grid, and Horizon Energy is addressing these – the Whakatāne District Council is only able to address faults with individual streetlights, not the lines that supply them. Horizon is aware of these outages and is working to remedy them as quickly as possible. Any questions about streetlight outages should be directed to Horizon Energy.
27 April, 8:15 am
Support for Edgecumbe businesses
The Whakatāne District Council is working with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to define the criteria for Edgecumbe businesses affected by this month’s flooding to apply for Government support funding. The Government will make $250,000 available for business support in Edgecumbe, and that funding is expected to be released to the Council within the next few days. Details of the package and the application process to apply for support funding will be advised directly to business owners and posted on this website as soon as possible.
The Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce will also continue to provide support and advice for flood-affected businesses.
Archived media updates
Older media updates have been archived below: