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supplied/Stuff
Flooding debris covers a big chunk of the cemetery in Queenstown.
About one-third of Queenstown’s cemetery has been affected by this week’s severe weather, with flood debris displacing some headstones.
On Thursday, Queenstown received a month’s rain in one day, with a State of Emergency declared early Friday morning.
The heavy rain, the most the town had received in one day in 24 years, caused flooding and saw debris strewn across the district, including the north-east section of the cemetery.
In an emailed statement, Queenstown Lakes District Council said while a significant portion of the cemetery was affected, there was no below-ground disturbance visible.
The council said it knew how distressing the damage would be for those with loved ones interred in the cemetery and that people might want to check the graves of loved ones.
However, the council asked people stay away, both for their own safety and to aid its restoration planning.
Fencing would be erected around the affected area and once that was up the rest of the cemetery would be reopened.
The cemetery had both historical and modern graves and the entire area was previously mapped in GIS, so the council has accurate records of burial sites.
Parks officer Tarsy Koentges said the council was reaching out to affected families and work to repair the damage would be carried out as sensitively as possible.
“We realise people would like to see immediate action to clear the debris from the cemetery, but the ground is still saturated, and we need to let it drain further. Before clean-up works can begin, the site will need to be blessed.”
“We need time for cultural observations and to plan restoration of the cemetery very carefully. We know this is really distressing and thank everyone for their patience.”
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