10 April 6:00 pm

More residents set to return home

Whakatāne District Council is continuing to make progress in getting people back into their homes.

From tomorrow morning at 8 am, people will be able to return to their homes in north Edgecumbe - College Road north of Rata Avenue - involving around 130 homes. Access will be from West Bank Road. Wastewater, water and power are due to be back on in this area tomorrow and any updates will be published on the Whakatāne District Council website.

Earlier today residents with properties in the south-eastern section of Edgecumbe – Hydro Road, Nikau Place, Miro Place and Konini Place – started reoccupying their properties. Some 46 properties were involved and all have an available water supply, but still have limited wastewater services at this time. These residents are being provided with packs containing information on safety and health issues, such as water and wastewater use. The cordon on Awakeri Road has been moved to the bridge to allow access to the reoccupied area.  

For people in Hydro Road and the streets that come off it who are allowed home, we’re asking they access their streets via Western Drain Road and McCracken Road.

Areas south of State Highway 2 at Edgecumbe will be assessed tomorrow to see if any are safe to return to. 

Whakatāne District Council aims to reopen further areas of Edgecumbe that have not been subject to flooding in the coming days as soon as water supplies have been restored and areas have been declared safe by health authorities.

Weather

There is some potentially heavy rain forecast for later in the week. If there is a need for further evacuations in the Edgecumbe area, we expect to have plenty of warning.

Residents will be alerted by fire station sirens sounding continuously and by emergency services vehicles driving round with sirens on. That will be the signal to move.

Those who are back in their homes by tomorrow can register for emergency text alerts by texting WH to 2028. You should get a text back confirming registration.

Damaged properties

On damaged properties, the Urban Search and Rescue task force has today been doing rapid damage assessments of properties south of state highway 2. Building inspectors will start doing full checks in this area and through the rest of Edgecumbe tomorrow that has not already been cleared or is looking OK. That will help determine whether the homes can be lived in again. We’re working on a system for alerting people to the results of building inspections.

Assisted access is to continue where appropriate

We’re making a change to where people can register for assisted access to their properties that can’t yet be lived in but are OK to access. The reason we’re doing this is to have one single point for the delivery of consistent information.

There’ll now be a single registration centre the Awakeri Event Centre on State Highway 30. It’ll be open from 9am each day.

Police are re-iterating that access isn’t intended to be for multiple visits. People are asked to get essentials on one trip rather than request to keep going back. That helps us prioritise those who haven’t had access yet.

Also bear in mind that this is a situation that can change as new information comes to hand – sometimes we’ll be able to open things up a bit quicker, sometimes things will go a bit slower than we expected.

We’ll try to ensure that information is always as up to date as possible but things can and do change.

Register

Just a reminder that flood affected residents whose homes are damaged who have not yet registered their details with the Whakatāne District Council are urged to call its free phone number, 0800 306 0500.

Accommodation

Those people who are staying in motels and other temporary accommodation who have been asked to vacate in the coming days should contact 0800 306 0500 and give full details of their situation to our customer service staff.

A reminder of some key things

The Edgecumbe township generally remains cordoned off to ensure public safety while flood waters are being pumped away. This is a safety precaution to protect people from sanitation risks associated with sewage system failures and surface water contamination. Some residents may be away from their homes for up to 10 days.

Residents in need of animal welfare support should call 0800 306 0500.

Evacuees who have registered with the District Council because they have indicated they have accommodation needs will be contacted as soon as possible. If your need is urgent call 0800 306 0500. However, we’re encouraging people to support family and others in need.

If evacuees haven’t registered already, Whakatāne District Council encourages all evacuees in the region to register online »

10 April 11:15 am

Residents reoccupy homes in south-eastern area of Edgecumbe

Residents with properties in the south-eastern section of Edgecumbe – Hydro Road, Nikau Place, Miro Place and Konini Place – were able to return to their homes from 8 am Monday, 10 April. Approximately 46 properties are involved. All have an available water supply (a boil waqter notice applies), but no wastewater service at this time. This means no water should be going down the drain. This includes not flushing toilets, using showers, or sinks, until further notice. Portaloos have been located round the neighbourhood to provide for sanitary needs. The wastewater pump station for the area is expected to be pumped out today and work is continuing to restore operation of the town’s wastewater treatment ponds. The cordon on Awakeri Road has been moved west to the bridge to allow access to the reoccupied area.  

The Whakatāne District Council aims to reopen further areas of the town which have not been subject to flooding in the coming days. Further details may be available later today.

Residents from more than 300 properties which have not been flooded were able to get assisted access to their properties yesterday, to check on the condition of their houses and pick-up essential items. This hugely successful process has seen assisted access provided for some 600 people.

Assisted access arrangements for people whose homes are not flooded is continuing today. Access remains difficult to some areas and residents are asked to be patient. As soon as they can get through, they will get through. Accreditation processes are underway at the Project Edgecumbe contact centre in Awakeri and at the Kawerau and Whakatāne evacuation centres. 

Flood affected residents whose homes are damaged who have not yet registered their details with the Whakatāne District Council are urged to call its free phone number, 0800 306 0500.

The ponded water in Edgecumbe continues to diminish, as the Bay of Plenty Regional Council pumping activities proceed. This work includes running 17 pumps, 24 hours a day to move flood waters out of Edgecumbe. The combined pumps are discharging 5,000 litres per second which translates to 0.4 million cubic metres water per day. Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s flood response team are focused on managing the movement of water, pumping out Edgecumbe and checking flood defences to determine what emergency works need to be done, given the possibility of a further weather event on Thursday and Friday this week. The pumping process is expected to continue through the Easter weekend. The pumps are jointly supplied by the Regional Council, Federated Farmers and other councils from across the North Island. 

The main breach in Edgecumbe is secure. The breach of the Whakatāne River stopbank at Rewatu Road was minor in comparison and work to close this is expected to be finished today or tomorrow.

The Edgecumbe township remains cordoned off to ensure public safety while flood waters are being managed and pumped away, and to protect people from sanitation risks associated with sewage system failures and surface water contamination. The cordon will potentially shrink further in coming days as more areas are opened up for reoccupation.  

10 April 10:45 am

Please report rescued pets

Some people accessing the Edgecumbe cordon to collect their pets are also collecting their neighbours' pets. If you have done so, please log this with us by calling 0800 306 0500. There are co-ordinated rescue efforts happening, and in some cases they are finding that pets have already been removed.

Broken windows in Edgecumbe residences

Police advise that there will be a number of homes that have a single window broken. This is due to SPCA checking homes for pets, not looting.

10 April 9:05 am

We’ve had multiple requests from Edgecumbe evacuees for spare kennels, cat cages, and runs, so they can house their rescued pets. Please call 0800 306 0500 so MPI and the Whakatāne District Council Animal Control can coordinate pick-up or drop off.

9 April 7:05 pm

Some residents may reoccupy homes

Flooding

Residents with properties in the south-eastern section of Edgecumbe – Hydro Road, Nikau Place, Miro Place and Konini Place - will be reoccupying their properties from 8.00am Monday, 10 April.

Approximately 46 properties are involved. All have an available water supply, but no wastewater service at this time. This means no water should be going down the drain. This includes not flushing toilets, using showers, or sinks. Portaloos will be located round the neighbourhood to provide for sanitary needs. The cordon on Awakeri Road will be moved to the bridge to allow access to the reoccupied area.  

The Whakatāne District Council aims to reopen further areas of the town which have not been subject to flooding in the coming days, as soon as water supplies have been restored and the areas have been declared safe by health authorities. 

Residents from more than 300 properties which have not been flooded were able to get assisted access to their properties today to check on the condition of their houses and pick-up essential items. This hugely successful process has seen assisted access provided for some 600 people to over 300 properties.

The assisted access arrangement has been organised for people whose homes were not flooded, with accreditation provided for access to 274 properties at the Project Edgecumbe contact centre in Awakeri alone. The same activity was also underway at the Kawerau and Whakatāne evacuation centres and in all cases there was a strong feeling of relief and positivity that people were being  reunited with their homes, even if only briefly.

Flood affected residents whose homes are damaged who have not yet registered their details with the Whakatāne District Council are urged to call its free phone number, 0800 306 0500.

The ponded water in Edgecumbe is now receding, as the Bay of Plenty Regional Council continues pumping activities. Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s flood response team are focused on managing the movement of water, pumping out Edgecumbe and checking flood defences to determine what emergency works need to be done, and that can be done quickly, given the possibility of additional weather events. This work includes running 17 pumps, 24 hours a day to move flood waters out of Edgecumbe. The combined pumps are discharging 5,000 litres per second which translates to 0.4 million cubic metres water per day. We also have controlled cuts discharging floodwater intot he canal but it’s difficult to calculate volumes. This process could take 7-10 days to complete. The pumps are jointly supplied by the Regional Council, Federated Farmers and other councils from across the North Island. 

The Regional Council’s engineering manager Mark Townsend says the main breach in Edgecumbe is secure. The breach of the Whakatāne River stopbank at Rewatu Road was minor in comparison and work to close this is expected to be finished on Monday or Tuesday.

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. The cordon will shrink tomorrow, and potentially further in coming days as more areas are opened up for reoccupation.  

When can you go back to your home? 

• Access may not be possible for some people for up to 10 days
• People whose homes were in areas that were not severely affected may be able to reoccupy their homes over the coming days
• Assisted access will be provided for other residents as soon as it can be safely accomplished. 

Process (for these people to register for controlled access to their homes)

• Go to the Civil Defence Centres at Kawerau, Whakatāne or Awakeri School to register
• We will escort people into their homes on a rostered basis for 10-15 minutes.

Drop-in Sessions

Drop-in sessions were held today and will continue as required to enable displaced residents to speak with someone one-on-one and get information about their specific circumstances.  

Schools and early learning centres  

• Ministry of Education representatives will be at Whakatāne and Kawerau tomorrow to support parents with school and school holiday arrangements.
• They will be located at the Civil Defence centres operating at Whakatāne (War Memorial Hall) and Kawerau (Rautahi Marae).
• Parents are invited to come down and discuss their needs. The Whakatāne Emergency Response team is working closely with the Ministry and can offer support for parents wanting their children to return to school this week. They can also help with alternate arrangements for parents returning to work but keeping their children out of school, and with school holiday arrangements.

Boil water notice

The following areas are advised to boil water rapidly for 1 minute before drinking due to the risk of contamination from flood waters, these areas are: Tāneatua, Rūātoki, Rangitaiki Plains (including Te Teko/Mapou, Edgecumbe, Awakeri, Braemar, Onepu, Otakiri and Thornton).

Farmers who are milking and are not using boiled water for plant and silo CIP (cleaning in process) please follow instructions from your dairy company or the procedures for dealing with boil water notices in your risk management programme (if any). 

The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) recommends that farmer use products approved for farm dairies, Sodium Hypo Chloride in the final rinse.

Examples of these products are:

• XY12  Ecolab
• Grade Right  FIL.

The mix requirements are 5mls per 100 litres of water. This is the same regime that farmers that are on water exclusion follow. 

Animals 

• Whakatāne Emergency Response Team, with support from SPCA, the Ministry for Primary Industries and Massey University experts have been working together to search for animals in Edgecumbe
• Residents in need of animal welfare support should call 0800 306 0500 or visit Council’s website for information.  

Road closures/re-opened

• Gow Road near Edgecumbe is now open
• Papuera to Ruatahuna Road now open
• Waikaremoana Road (Whakatane side) open 
• Matahi Valley Road open with caution up to Lions Hut and closed beyond Lions Hut.
• The road has been opened up between Minginui and Murupara
• Please take care if driving along these routes 

Donations

• We are aware that people want to kindly donate small goods and food, just to reinforce our Welfare and evacuation centres do not require any donated goods. 
• We are only able to manage financial assistance at this stage. 
• We are aware that there are people in the community who are taking donated small goods and food, this is not being coordinated through the Welfare and evacuation centres. 
• An official Mayoral Fund Give a Little page has been set up for the Edgecumbe and Eastern Bay of Plenty (EBOP) Mayoral Flood Appeal. Money raised through the appeal will be used to fund applications made to the Mayoral Relief Fund to assist people affected by this week’s flooding events. 
• Donation information is at the bottom of this page »

Kerbside Rubbish/Recycling Collections

• Normal scheduled kerbside collections will continue to all areas that can be accessed.
• For affected areas only, any properties that have been missed can place extra rubbish out in bags by their bins on their next normal collection days.
• Matahī Valley will be serviced on Thursday.

9 April 3:05 pm

Interim Health Centre and Pharmacy for Edgecumbe residents to Open in Te Teko

Thanks to He Tohunga Ora Mo Rangitaiki Trust, Riverslea Medical Centre and Edgecumbe Pharmacy will be fully operating from this Monday 10th April.   

Both services will be based in the Te Teko Health Centre Premises at no 8 Edgecumbe-Te Teko road, next to the school.  

Find out more »

9 April 12:40 pm

Support for parents with school/childcare needs

Ministry of Education representatives will be at Awakeri, Whakatāne and Kawerau today to support parents with school and school holiday arrangements.

They will be located at the Civil Defence Centres operating at Whakatāne (War Memorial Hall), Kawerau (Rautahi Marae) and Awakeri School. These centres are open from 9am – 5pm.

Parents are invited to come down and discuss their needs. The Whakatāne Emergency Response team is working closely with the Ministry and can offer support for parents wanting their children to return to school this week. They can also help with alternate arrangements for parents returning to work but keeping their children out of school, and with school holiday arrangements.

A local state of civil emergency remains in place in Whakatane, and many Eastern Bay schools are affected by the Edgecumbe flood. 

With the cordon still in place, the Edgecumbe schools are unlikely to be assessed until Monday at the earliest. Early signs are that the schools haven’t been badly damaged as they are on higher ground, but they will be affected by lack of services.

For a full list of schools and early childhood closures, visit the Ministry of Education’s website »

Flooding

• 1600 Edgecumbe people 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.
• Whakatāne District Council encourages all evacuees to register at the Civil Defence centres.  
• The breach has been plugged and is working well. No more water is flowing from the river into Edgecumbe. Construction work is continuing in this are today.
• The water is now naturally receding; however because of the volume more will need to be pumped out. Bay of Plenty Regional Council has begun pumping and this could take 7-10 days to complete.
• The Edgecumbe township remains cordoned off to ensure public safety while pumping is in progress and to protect people from sanitation risks associated with sewage system failures and surface water contamination. 
• This was a significant weather event with the Rangitaiki and Whakatane/Tauranga rivers reaching the highest peak flows on record
• Due to the risk of contamination from flood waters, there is a boil water notice in effect for Tanuatua, Ruatoki and Rangitaiki Plains 
• Updated Road closure information is available below »
• State Highway closures are posted on NZTA's website »

When can you go back to your home?

• Access may not be possible for up to 10 days. 
• However, people whose property was not flooded will be able to gain access to their homes for a brief period today.

Process

• Go to the Civil Defence Centres at Kawerau, Whakatāne or Awakeri School to register.
• We will escort people into their homes on a rostered basis for 10-15 minutes.
• This is a logistical exercise so we are planning to do this at Awakeri from 10 am-12 midday / Kawerau 12 midday-2 pm / Whakatāne 2 pm-4 pm.

Animals

There has been good progress on animal welfare with a number of pets reunited with their owners. Whakatāne Emergency Response Team, with support from SPCA, the Ministry for Primary Industries and Massey University experts have been working together to search for animals in Edgecumbe. Residents in need of animal welfare support should call 0800 306 0500.  

9 April 11:05 am

Some residents to have access to homes today

Residents whose houses are in dry zones will be given access to their homes for a brief period today. 

These residents are asked to go to Civil Defence Centres at Rautahi Marae in Kawerau, Whakatāne War Memorial Hall or Awakeri School to register. They will be escorted into their homes on a rostered basis for 10-15 minutes.

This process is planned to occur on a rolling basis as follows:

• Awakeri from 10 am-12 midday
• Kawerau 11 am - 1 pm
• Whakatāne 12 pm - 2 pm

Drop-in sessions will also be held today to enable people to speak with people from various agencies one-on-one. These people will be able to assist with information, support and advice. Information will be available, including a map showing inundation areas. This map is also available on Council’s website.

The drop in sessions are taking place from:

• 9 am at Awakeri School
• 11 am at Kawerau (Rautahi Marae – Onslow Street)
• 12 midday at Whakatāne (Whakatāne War Memorial Hall)