Reaching cut-off communities priority for Tararua as effects of Cyclone Gabrielle ease

It will be “days, weeks and years” before Tararua’s roads and bridges recover from the devastating effects of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The district remained under a national state of emergency on Wednesday as emergency workers focused on reconnecting isolated communities and begun assessing damage to homes and infrastructure.

Rainfall and winds were steady in the district, and the rivers were still in high flow, with further rain expected overnight.

A number of bridges have been totally submerged and some communities remained isolated or difficult to reach.

READ MORE:
* Cyclone Gabrielle: Manawatū district council opens floodgates following torrential rain
* ‘Stream went from 10m wide to 500m’ – rising river levels hit Tararua
* Flooding causes SH56 closure, Moutoa floodgate opening pushed back

An update provided from the Tararua District Council on Wednesday afternoon said a small number of locations had been assessed, but with the large road network in the district, further assessments would take some time to complete.

About 40 roads across the district remained closed and some would remain that way for the foreseeable future.

The Saddle Road / State Highway 3 between Ashhurst and Woodville reopened at about 2.30pm after being closed due to flooding. Waka Kotahi advised motorists to take caution on the route.

Mayor Tracey Collis said having the road teams on the ground assessing the impact of the cyclone was a significant first step towards reopening them.

“Progress has been made on getting emergency only access in some areas.

“In many cases our teams are having to clear multiple trees and slips only to find out portions of road have become impassable.”

It would take months, if not years for the roading network to recover from the damage.

The priority on Wednesday was reconnecting cut-off communities.

A helicopter was deployed to undertake a recon flight of the hard-hit coastal areas, Ākitio, Herbertville and Pongaroa, to gain a greater understanding of the situation.

A Civil Defence Centre was established by Ngāti Kahungunu at the Dannevirke Sports Centre.

Collis visited the people sheltering and said she was impressed by the great spirit and resilience they displayed.

Many of the evacuees were international visitors and it was uplifting to see the community support from everyone, no matter where they came from.

Dannevirke’s wastewater treatment plant remained overwhelmed, and the council was unable to draw from the Tāmaki River for drinking water as the water was too turbid to treat to a high

enough standard.

The community was urged to conserve water, and to refrain from using washing machines and dishwashers.

A temporary boil water notice had also been issued for Ākitio.

Damage ‘significant’ in Pohangina Valley

A significant amount of damage has been caused to the road network on both sides of Pohangina Valley.

Contractors were prioritising this area to open up roads and restore access for residents, the Manawatū District Council stated in a release at just after noon on Wednesday.

A number of roads remained closed, including Churchill Rd where the bridge was washed away, and Pohangina Valley East Road north of Konewa Bridge.

Pohangina Valley farmer Jacquetta said the damage from flooding at her property mirrored that of the landmark February 2004 floods.

Hundreds of bales of forage and some stock had been washed away.

Manawatū district mayor Helen Worboys said the council’s roading team were busy trying to reopen as many roads as possible, particularly in Pohangina.

“Once the water’s cleared, once we’ve been able to clear away some of that debris. we’ll then need t assess what damage there is. But the priority is getting access for people to get back into their homes and their properties.”

Many roads throughout the district are closed. Council staff are constantly updating its road network map online.

Timona Park in Feilding had reopened, however the link road between Campbell St and Poole St would remain closed until further notice.

Welfare and infrastructure support

Horizons Regional Council emergency management staff are undertaking assessments to assist with welfare and infrastructure needs.

Horizons regional group controller Craig Grant said inspections were being done via site visits and by air.

“Today our priority has been people, properties and livestock – these assessments help us determine the extent of possible damage across the region and identify areas requiring more urgent assistance.

The council had been collating welfare information alongside territorial authorities, support organisations and the Rural Support Trust.

Financial, mental health, and rural support assistance could be sought via horizons.govt.nz

“On the flood protection infrastructure front it will be difficult to get a full picture of damage to flood assets until water recedes. Once that happens, we’ll be able to fully assess erosion, channel and river bed changes and any other issues caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.”

For those who were starting to clean up where floodwaters were receding, Grant said people needed to remember such areas should still be considered contaminated.

“We have begun recovery planning as the response to Cyclone Gabrielle in our region reduces. This will be a long journey involving prioritisation of needs and will have to ask the community to be patient as we work through this.”

Horizons’ Emergency Coordination Centre would remain activated overnight to support the Tararua district which remained in a state of emergency.

“All weather warnings have been lifted for the region and as reported this morning, river systems have peaked and are receding, except the Turakina which is expected to peak tonight.

“As like our other rivers, there may be a bit of water spilling out of the channel but we don’t expect it to cause any serious issues and we will be monitoring the situation.

The Moutoa floodgates, which were opened on Tuesday night, would remain open overnight to continue diverting floodwaters down a shortcut to the sea.

Waka Kotahi’s journey planner and the MetService website are providing updates.

Palmerston North: Avoid river and conserve water

The Palmerston North City Council asked the public to stay away from the river and other waterways.

“Our awa is very full right now and the river pathway has flooded on both sides. We are expecting more water to come through [on Wednesday] from the Tararua ranges and district.

“The stopbanks are still doing a wonderful job keeping us safe. But we were really concerned to hear how many people went out sightseeing [on Tuesday] night and walking and playing in floodwaters, especially at the end of Maxwells Line.

“Please don’t go near floodwater. If you cannot see the road do not drive through it. Do not play or walkthrough the water as it could be contaminated or have debris.”

Palmerston North residents were also being asked to conserve water.

The wastewater treatment plant was operating well, but the discharge point to the Manawatū River was now underwater,

Treated wastewater is being stored at the treatment plant but later this morning we might have to use an alternative discharge point to the Mangaone Stream, waters group manager Mike Monaghan said.

“We are asking all residents to avoid unnecessary use of water. This means water should only be used for drinking, cooking, hygiene, business needs and for making formula.

“If you can put off showers, baths, washing your laundry, using your dishwashers we’d really appreciate it. This means our plant will be able to continue treating our wastewater and there’ll be less water entering the Mangaone.”

Tap water remains safe to drink.

The stormwater system was at full capacity, but it was working. If the rain continued, surface flooding was expected in some parts of town.

“Don’t be alarmed if you see some water backing up on your road today. People think that means our stormwater system isn’t working, but it is. In heavy rain, roads may struggle to cope with large amounts of water and this is where it can flow onto berms and properties,” Monaghan said.

“When this occurs, we activate pump stations across the city to help push water through the network.”

Some roads are closed, including at Newbury and Ōpiki. West End and Central Normal schools, and Awatapu College had closed on Wednesday.

Palmerston North rubbish and recycling collections were expected to start on Wednesday, but the council may need to stop as access to its resource recovery centre has some flooding.

Efforts to restore power

With bad weather easing ,electricity provider Powerco was optimistic it could restore power to many more customers on Wednesday.

As of 11am, 451 of its customers in Manawatū were without power, with 905 in Wairarapa, and 783 in Whanganui.

Crews’ efforts had been hampered by access issues, such as slips and flooding, and hazardous conditions such as high winds, but Powerco head of network operations Caz Haydon said with the storm moving away from the North Island, these barriers should be less of an issue.

“Our crews are out in force today, making the most of gaps in the weather. Faults are decreasing, with our focus on restoring power to the larger outages, which are being assessed for restoration and repair across all regions as a priority. We are also prioritising those who have been without power for the longest.

“As the day progresses, we’ll be able to provide more certainty over restoration timeframes for our customers – we encourage those without power to keep an eye on our outage map for updates.”