12 April: 4:15 pm

Cyclone Cook

Whakatane District residents are urged to remain prepared, with Cyclone Cook looking set to hit the district around midnight.

While the current trajectory looks set to send Cyclone Cook more towards the Western Bay of Plenty residents are still urged to expect a significant downpour (100ml), strong winds (150kph), large swells and storm surges.

As soil in the district remains saturated from the previous cyclone all residents are advised to:

• Have an evacuation plan ready - especially if you live in a seaside, hilltop or flood prone area
• Have a supply of fresh food and enough clean water for three days ready to go
• Clear gutters and storm water grates of any debris
• Full sandbags are also available for residents from Tracks Concrete, 19 Arawa Road, Whakatane, or by calling 07 307 0581
• If a public evacuation is necessary fire sirens will start operating around the district and Civil Defence centres set up at:
  • War Memorial Hall – Short Street, Whakatāne
  • Rautahi Marae – 117 Onslow Street, Kawerau

For Edgecumbe residents already displaced due to the flood:

• All houses affected by the floods have now been inspected.
• Assisted access to cordoned areas Zones 3 and 4 was suspended at 3pm due to the cyclone. Residents will be advised when access is available again
• All day tomorrow (April 13) Building Officers will open an information centre at the Awakeri Events Centre with Insurance advisors to answer questions and queries regarding houses in Edgecumbe
• At this stage all Whakatāne River stop banks are secure, with ongoing monitoring being undertaken
• If there is a need for further evacuations because of the weather, we will issue warnings as soon as possible. Edgecumbe residents will be alerted to any evacuations by fire station sirens sounding continuously and by emergency services vehicles driving round with sirens on.

12 April: 11:45am

Residents urged to prepare for Cyclone Cook

Whakatane District residents are urged to be prepared as the region is set to be hit with more heavy rain and wind later today.

Cyclone Cook is expected to hit the region with more than 200mm of rain expected to drop over the coming days. The event is expected to be similar in strength to Cyclone Debbie.

As the ground throughout the region is already saturated from Cyclone Debbie, Civil Defence are urging all residents to:

• Have an evacuation plan in place for your immediately family and pets
• Have a supply of fresh food and enough clean water for three days ready to go
• Clear gutters and storm water grates of any debris
• Monitor the weather situation closely - checking online for Civil Defence updates or on 1XX FM
• Stay alert to the risks - this includes flooding and any cracking or shifting of ground
• Avoid travelling during heavy weather unless necessary.

“We’re monitoring the weather situation very closely, paying special attention to areas like stop banks, river levels and slips, but want residents to be prepared for similar conditions to last week,” says Regional Council duty flood manager Peter Blackwood.

What we’re looking at is an unpredictable weather event and while we’re monitoring the situation closely and will continue to provide updates, be prepared and if you think your safety is at risk evacuate first.

​For families already affected in Edgecumbe:

• The Matahina Dam has been lowered to its lowest ever operational level
• There are 17 pumps along the Rangitaiki River running 24 hours a day to remove water from already flooded areas
• Stop bank breaches at Edgecumbe have been closed and secured and the Rewatu Road breach on the Whakatāne River has been repaired
• At this stage all Whakatāne River stop banks are secure, with ongoing monitoring being undertaken
• Council will continue to inspect buildings with the aim of getting families back into their homes as soon as possible
• All initial building inspections are expected to be completed this afternoon - depending on weather and access
• Zone 1 and 2 residents that have been able to reoccupy their homes are advised to be prepared to leave if another flooding event takes place
• Zone 3 and 4 residents with assisted access will continue to be able to visit their homes while the weather remains stable. They are advised to collect their pets when accessing their property
• If there is a need for further evacuations, warnings will be issues as soon as possible. Fire sirens will be activated and emergency services personnel will be driving around with sirens on.

If members of the public require sandbags, free sandbags are available from Tracks Concrete, 19 Arawa Road, Whakatane, or by calling 07 307 0581.

People can sign up for Bay of Plenty Civil Defence text alerts by texting the two letters for your area to 2028:

• TA – Tauranga
• WB – Western Bay
• KA – Kawerau
• WH – Whakatāne
• RO – Rotorua
• OP – Ōpōtiki

People can also follow the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bopcivildefence or visit the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence website at www.bopcivildefence.govt.nz for information about how to get ready before an event.

For radio updates, listen to 1XX FM.

11 April, 4:50 pm

Steady progress on building inspections

Whakatane District Council has today been making good progress on getting Edgecumbe residents back into their homes and inspecting properties in the flooded area.

The aim is to inspect 300 houses in Edgecumbe by the end of tomorrow (12 April). The work started this morning with 16 building Inspectors from across the Lakes Coast building cluster. A further 13 building control officers are arriving from Auckland Council to assist tomorrow (12 April).

The inspectors have been inspecting each flood damaged house to assess whether structural damage has occurred, the extent of flood damage, and whether it is safe to move back into homes. Some homes have been moved off their foundations, some brick cladding has collapsed and will likely be deemed dangerous. Many homes will require wall linings to be removed. Silt will need to be removed from under the buildings in order to help the framing to dry out before they can be repaired and become habitable again.

“We will offer owners free building consents to record the process and completion of any repair to a flood damaged home,” Mayor Tony Bonne announced. “This independent oversight will provide certainty about the repair process for current and future property owners.”

Also, Whakatane District Council is facilitating a meeting tomorrow (12 April) with representatives of all insurance companies and the Earthquake Commission to help make assessment processes as smooth and possible.

Once building inspections are completed, the council will contact affected owners to discuss the outcome of their assessment and provide them with a copy of it for them and their insurer.

“We will continue to work closely with insurers and property owners to make the recovery process as simple as possible in the circumstances.” said Mr Bonne.

11 April, 12:30 pm

More returning home but be vigilant on weather

Good progress has been made on getting Edgecumbe residents back home today. But residents who have been able to return are being urged to remain vigilant as there are warnings of more heavy rain to come which could have an impact on the wider Bay of Plenty.

From this morning, more people were able to return to their homes in north Edgecumbe - College Road north of Rata Avenue. That involves 130 homes. Access has been from West Bank Road. Wastewater, water and power are due to be back on in this area this morning but residents are asked to use sparingly. 

Yesterday 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.

Today building inspectors are continuing to do checks around Edgecumbe on properties not already cleared. They plan to finish this by tomorrow.
 
They will be placing stickers indicating whether buildings are restricted access (yellow) or unsafe for access at this stage (red). Red status doesn’t automatically mean homes will be uninhabitable, they are just unsafe at this stage.

People can call the freephone number 0800 306 0500 to check on the status of their home. 

The regional council is working with Metservice around what this morning’s Bay of Plenty severe weather warning will mean.

It is assuring the community that it is doing everything it can.  

It currently expects the bulk of the rain is going to arrive Thursday and it looks like coastal communities are going to be hit the worst. Severe gales are also predicted along the coast which will likely lead to storm surges and flooding of coastal margins. 

A number of precautions are being taken in the Edgecumbe area. The regional council is working closely with Trustpower to lower the Matahina dam to the lowest levels ever recorded. Pumps along the Rangitikei are also going full speed to remove water from flooded areas and there are ongoing inspections of the stop banks. Regular updates will be issued in the lead up to the weather.
 
If there is a need for further evacuations in the Edgecumbe area because of the weather, warnings will be issued as soon as possible.

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

Also, those who have or are going back to their homes can register for emergency text alerts by texting WH to 2028. 

People should be prepared for evacuations – if you have to go decide where you will go (friends and family), what to take, how to contact each other, and how you will evacuate pets. Farmers are advised to move stock to higher ground from low lying areas before noon Wednesday 12 April. 

Due to the risk of contamination from flood waters a boil water notice remains in effect for the entire Rūātoki and the Rangitāiki Plains areas, including Edgecumbe. 

This means that people in these areas should bring water to a rapid boil for at least one minute to make it safe to drink.