Wiped Out
CD
CIVIL DEFENCE
HAWKE’S BAY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
GROUP
This factsheet provides information about the various support available to those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.
If your life is at risk, phone 111.
My name is Ian Macdonald, the Civil Defence Group Controller for Hawke’s Bay.
It’s an incredibly challenging time in the Bay right now, but I want to assure you that we’re doing everything we can.
We’ve had several days of urgent community response to Cyclone Gabrielle, with emergency management staff and first responders working around the clock.
Our current priority is establishing contact with communities that have been isolated since Cyclone Gabrielle hit the region, as well as building our essential goods supply system. We are also working hard on power and food restoration.
We are aware of the major impact the lack of power is having. We are actively connecting with suppliers to ensure everything is done to get power back up and running and we are working together on several solutions. We are prioritising generator distribution to essential services, for example we worked with Unison on Wednesday to power up another fuel station and supermarkets, but the public can expect that it may be days or weeks ahead, with a lack of power.
In the meantime – please reach out to neighbours – does someone have a generator? – how can you share it? Are your elderly neighbours managing ok without power?
The last few days have been extremely trying for the community and for those who have had to respond.
We’ve transitioned from an operational rescue and crisis management to now focusing on welfare and needs assessment. We have a good picture of our urban communities and have established Civil Defence Centres. We will now focus on our rural communities – determining how we will reach these isolated communities and what their needs are in the days/weeks ahead.
I just want to assure everybody that we are pulling together the command and control and the situational awareness and starting to make some progress on a lot of the things that are causing problems for our communities.
The Group Emergency Coordination Centre is operating 24/7 on two shifts of 12 hours each, with our Group Office staff, people from the community and a some support from central government.
We have connected with Wairoa and have done a rapid assessment of their needs. This has been escalated nationally and we are coordinating a government effort to bring relief to this isolated community.
We have begun getting the area connected through Starlink and then supplies will start rolling in.
We’re putting a lot of effort into radio material so please listen to the local radio channels to stay connected and up to date. Tune in to Newstalk ZB HB, The Hits and the Breeze for local coverage.
If you can, check your local Council and our Civil Defence websites and social media channels regularly.
Thank you to everyone helping with the response. Please be patient and look after each other at this time. We will get through this
Civil Defence Centres now open
Civil Defence Centres are open across affected regions for those who need to evacuate and cannot stay with friends or whanau.
Please bring with you any essential items you may need, including medication, warm clothing, and baby items.
For an up-to-date list of Civil Defence Centres, visit your local Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Website.
For those unable to reach a Civil Defence Centre, please contact your local Civil Defence Emergency Management Group to discuss your options.
Financial support from Work and Income
Support and assistance is available if you’ve been directly affected by the recent severe weather.
There are lots of ways Work and Income can help, and we can point you in the right direction based on your situation. You don’t have to be on a benefit.
In emergencies, Work and Income can help with costs if you don’t have any other way of paying.
Work and Income can help with: medical costs, bedding, food, power bills, repairs or replacing appliances, loss of income because you can’t work.
Work and income also provides other help such as benefits and help with paying your housing costs.
Everyone’s situation is different, so what you qualify for will depend on your situation. You may have to pay the money back depending on your situation.
Call on 0800 400 100 for help with emergency costs from 8.00am – 5.00pm.
Maori community/Iwi support
Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups are leading engagement with iwi, hapu and Maori community groups across affected areas.
This includes assistance with needs assessments, resourcing, aligning with the official response and information management. Te Puni Kokiri and other agencies are assisting this effort.
Pacific support
Ministry for Pacific Peoples is the Crown’s principal advisor on policies and interventions aimed at improving outcomes for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa. We have strong networks with Pacific communities around the country and expertise in understanding of Pacific people, customs, and values influence public policy, programme, and service decisions affecting Pacific Aotearoa.
Ministry for Pacific Peoples are actively reaching out to Pacific leaders, communities, and service providers to gather information. If you require support please email [email protected] or visit www.mpp.govt.nz
Foreign Nationals
Foreign Nationals requiring assistance should contact their Embassy or High Commission.
Contact details can be found at www.mfat.govt.nz/en/embassies/
Visitors to New Zealand should contact their travel insurer if their travel has been disrupted.
Ethnic Communities support
The Ministry for Ethnic Communities will continue to send out various communications to all our communities outlining support available for them.
The Ministry for Ethnic Communities will also continue liaising with key agencies to ensure that specific needs are met for ethnic communities such as language accessibility needs, culturally appropriate accommodation, food, prayer spaces.
Support for Disabled People
Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People have advised the following:
If you are impacted personally, please contact emergency services on 111. If you have difficulty hearing or talking on the phone, try the 111 TXT service to contact Fire, Ambulance or Police: www.police.govt.nz/111-txt
Disabled people and whanau can contact Whakarongorau Aotearoa, New Zealand Telehealth Services if you need support on 0800 111 213, Text 8988. Or access it with the New Zealand Relay Service at www.nzrelay.co.nz.
If you are going to a Civil Defence Centre with assist dogs, you should take them with you. Please remember other essential items you may need, such as devices, medicine, warm clothing, and baby items
Animal welfare
Your animals are your responsibility. You need to include them in your planning in the event of an emergency.
If you have to evacuate, take your pets with you – if you can do so safely – or take them to a safe shelter place.
If you have to leave your animals behind, make sure they’re in a secure and sheltered place either inside or outside your home.
If you have livestock or horses in paddocks near waterways that have the potential to flood (streams, rivers etc.), move them to higher ground.
For more information see the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) factsheet: Animals affected by flood – www.mpi.govt.nz/animals-in-emergencies
Animal welfare concerns
Please contact your local CDEM Group to log any animal welfare concerns. MPI will follow up on animal welfare calls.
Veterinary services
If your animals need veterinary treatment, contact your veterinary clinic.
Livestock
For requests for assistance with livestock, lifestyle blocks or feed phone Federated Farmers on 0800 FARMING (0800 327 646)
Insurance and lodging a claim
If your home, car, or contents have been damaged by the severe weather, take photos before you remove or repair anything and report it to your insurance company as soon as possible. You only need to contact your insurance company and they’ll let you know what you need to do next, how to claim and – if applicable – how EQ Cover from Toka Tu Ake EQC works.
If you need to make your home safe, sanitary, secure, and weather tight, please record the work done, take before and after photos, and keep copies of the bills you paid.
If you don’t have house insurance but do have contents insurance, speak to your insurer about what is covered. Make sure you take lots of photos and keep good records before you throw anything out, where possible.
Free and independent advice is available through Residential Advisory Service (RAS) within MBIE provide advocacy services and advice to homeowners who are navigating insurance claims to remediate damage suffered due to an event. You can contact [email protected] or ring 0800 777 299, 03 379 7027 for more information.
EQCover for this event
EQCover provides the following:
Landslip damage, EQCover available for damage to house and land
if the house is damaged by the landslide, cover available up to the building cap (up to $150k or $300k, depending on policy renewal date) cover for repair or reinstatement of some residential land, up to the value of the insured land.
Flood and storm damage, EQCover only applies to insured land, with private insurers generally providing cover for homes.
removal of flood debris such as silt and fallen trees
Land claims can take some time to resolve and communication between impacted people and their insurer is critical. Information that may be useful for homeowners are in links below:
General guidance
Householders’ Guide to EQCover – overview of how EQCover works, what is and isn’t covered, and how EQCover claims are settled
Householders’ Guide to Residential Land – overview of how EQCover works for insured residential land, what is and isn’t covered
Specific guidance (these can be printed, as needed)
Land Cover Storms and Floods factsheet – how EQCover works for storm or flood damage to insured residential land
EQCover- Land claims factsheet – steps involved in an EQCover land claim, people involved and how settlements are calculated
Tenancy information
If you are the tenant or landlord of a rental property, you can find information on your rights and obligations at www.tenancy.govt.nz or by phoning 0800 TENANCY (0800 836 262).
Schools and early childhood education centres
Guidance for this severe weather event is available on the Education website and will be updated as the situation changes, please check this web page for updates: Severe weather event advice and guidance – Education in New Zealand.
We encourage parents and caregivers to check with their school or early learning service about whether they have been affected by the weather event and when they plan to open. The Ministry of Education supports all schools and early learning services to help them in their recovery efforts.
Healthcare Services
Health care services are continuing to provide care if you need it. All hospitals, including emergency departments remain open. If you are seriously unwell and need emergency care, please dial 111.
For less critical non-emergency care, people can continue to phone their GP in the first instance. Phones will be managed 24 hours, either directly or through an after-hours duty GP. Most GPs who would normally be open at the weekend have been able to open usual.
For urgent, less serious, health concerns when your doctor is unavailable, contact your local accident and medical centre. A list of these is available on Healthpoint. Community pharmacies can support you if you don’t have your regular prescription medications. A list of open pharmacies can be found on Healthpoint.
For general health advice, or you’re just not sure where you need to go to seek help, call Healthline 0800 611 116.
For help with anxiety, distress or mental wellbeing, call or text Need to Talk? on 1737 to speak to a trained counsellor for free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. People can also reach out to their usual health practitioner for support.
Please be extra careful if you are travelling as there may be road closures still in place; check ahead to make sure your normal routes open and safe to use.
Friday, February 17, 2023 www. hawkesbaytoday.co.nz 3
Cyclone Gabrielle For latest updates go to nzherald.co.nz
Fears more bodies as floods drop
Biggest HB weather catastrophe in memory
Doug Laing
Three people have died in Hawke’s Bay after Cyclone Gabrielle swept through, with a further two fatalities on the East Coast, and there are fears that number could rise.
Dozens of communities are still isolated four days after Monday night’s storm. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said yesterday it was at least as bad as the Christchurch earthquakes, in terms of the disaster response and recovery. Multiple regions are dealing with Gabrielle’s fallout.
The whole of Napier was plunged into darkness by about 7.30am on Tuesday, a catastrophe that could see much of the city without electricity for up to two weeks.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said yesterday Cyclone Gabrielle was at least as bad as the Christchurch earthquakes, in terms of the disaster response and recovery. Multiple regions are dealing with Gabrielle’s fallout.
The Hawke’s Bay deaths have been in an area north of Napier, from Bay View to Putorino at the halfway point on the devastated stretch of State Highway 2 between Napier and Wairoa. They include a child.
Any conjecture regarding other fatalities is unhelpful, Civil Defence says.
A fleet of helicopters has been used for rescues. More than 9000 people were evacuated as areas such as Taradale and rural areas the Esk Valley, Dartmoor and Fernhill were severely hit by flooding and slips.
The Esk River rose so high it crashed through homes and almost submerged roofs.
Many fled with nothing but the clothes they wore. Some swam through the torrent. Helicopters rescued some from roofs.
The bursting of the Tutaekuri banks led to the inundation of Transpower’s Redclyffe substation near Taradale, with 1.5 metre flows going through the control room, causing the blackout.
By yesterday morning, more than 40,000 customers remained without electricity, and there was no suggestion a fix was imminent – instead, Transpower was attempting to re-route the supply through Hastings.
With communication with many areas cut off, the collapse of the centre span of the Brookfields Bridge between Meeanee and Pakowhai on Tuesday was an early indicator the storm would be at least as bad as Cyclone Bola, which destroyed the State Highway 2 bridge in Wairoa and caused widespread calamity throughout the North Island.
All five major arterial bridges between Napier and Hastings – the others near Clive, the Expressway and Waiohiki bridges near Taradale, and the Fernhill bridge on State Highway 50 – were all out of action.
Along with the closing of other highways to the north, it meant Napier was geographically severed from the rest of the world, as was Wairoa.
The first opening of the Napier Hastings routes, through Clive on Wednesday night, lasted less than 15 hours before national highways agency Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency announced it was being closed for bridge assessment. It then reopened yesterday afternoon to critical workers and emergency services.
News of the reopening had led to yesterday morning traffic queues stretching more than 5km from Waitangi Bridge near Awatoto through the length of Georges Dr in Napier.
They were not the only queues – as news spread of a prolonged electricity outage, firstly for “an extended period”, then possibly two weeks, supermarket and hardware store queues stretched for hundreds of metres as people hunted out everything thing from non perishables to barbecues and gas cylinders.
And it was not the only time people ignored warnings about Gabrielle, which had lurked ominously since Waitangi Day, when it was “first noted as a developing tropical low” to the south of the Solomon Islands.
It took almost a week to throw its lot at New Zealand, first in the north, and then in the Bay, with significantly greater force and devastation than had been forecast – heavy rain, a night of strong winds, and a coastal swell going directly on to Napier’s Marine Parade beach.
It was at the beach that, again, people ignored some of the warnings, with at least 200 fronting up to watch Tuesday’s high tide. Some tripped or were knocked over as waves crashed further up the beach than expected.
Some ventured for adventure on the viewing platform which extended out above the crashing waves.
The heaviest rainfall, according to the statistics, came mainly in areas that often get lots of rain, but for six months the net had been spread wider, with many areas now having had above average rainfall for seven months in a row, in some cases breaking previous records.
As the reality of the long-term power cut emerged, Civil Defence leaders made an appeal for more diesel generators to help power essential operations.
Among those already being used were dozens acquired by Napier-Taupo-Rotorua electricity distributor Unison Networks for the people of the Rangitaiki Plains after the heaviest snowfall in the area in more than 50 years toppled about 200 poles that took the associated lines with them in 2016, leading to a repair job that lasted several months before normal supply was restored to all customers.
Photo caption – A person is rescued from Esk valley on Tuesday morning. Photo / NZDF
Conserve power while it’s still being restored
James Pocock
Unison has asked reconnected Hawke’s Bay customers to conserve power as teams continue restoration efforts for tens of thousands across the region.
Unison restored power to 39,400 customers by yesterday afternoon since Cyclone Gabrielle hit on Monday night cutting power to around 77,000 homes across Hawke’s Bay, Taupo and Rotorua.
Yesterday afternoon, 37,548 homes remained without power in Hawke’s Bay, 31,527 in Napier which was affected by a loss of supply from Transpower’s Redclyffe substation after floodwaters rushed through the entire facility.
According to Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group, the initial assessment indicated that there was extensive damage after waters reached heights exceeding 1.5m inside the control room.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council said the power outage in Napier was expected to last for at least two weeks.
Eastland Network is also advising people to conserve power as 4500 of its customers across Tairawhiti and Hawke’s Bay remain without power, including more than 1600 in Wairoa.
“The Gisborne city area and parts of Wairoa have power. Ruatoria, Te Araroa, Tokomaru Bay and Tolaga Bay townships, and Mahia, are running on generators,” a post by Eastland Network on Facebook said.
They are advising people to treat lines as live at all times following reports of people using chainsaws and vehicles to clear trees and roads where powerlines are down.
“This is a serious risk to your safety – keep well clear,” the post said.
“We’ll post updates on our FB page, and encourage everyone to follow the local Civil Defence pages and listen to the news.”
Centralines confirmed yesterday that 5600 customers in Central Hawke’s Bay have had their power restored since the cyclone hit on Monday night and fewet [fewer] than 290 households remain without power.
Danny Gough, Unison and Centralines relationship manager, stressed that all Hawke’s Bay customers now reconnected to the network should conserve power where possible. “We can’t stress this enough as a genuine plea for people to look at every opportunity to save power – from turning off air conditioning and devices on standby, to being mindful with the lights and any high consumption devices.”
Centralines customers are advised to visit www.centralines.co.nz/outages for real time information on outages. They can also phone 0800 NO POWER (0800 667 693), but there is very high call volumes.
Keep safe everyone
Hawke’s Bay has been hit by the most destructive weather event to hit the region in living memory.
Today’s is a free paper, not home delivered to subscribers due to the current impassable logistics of delivery, but available from certain supermarkets and other local stores.
We hope this edition helps with information gaps that widespread power cuts, mobile outages and internet issues have caused.
For those who have power and connectivity we’re updating our website and Facebook page constantly at hbtoday.co.nz.
Remember to also check your local council web pages and Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence at hbemergency.govt.nz. And if you have radio, listen to Adam and Megan broadcasting live from Napier on the changed frequency – 95.9FM.
Keep safe out there. Look after each other. We can get through this.
Chris Hyde
Hawke’s Bay Today Editor
Heartbreaking: An industry on its knees
Hamish Bidwell
It will take years and hundreds of millions of dollars to get “the heart” of the Hawke’s Bay economy beating again.
Hundreds of hectares of orchards and crops have been washed away by Cyclone Gabrielle, with the true extent of the carnage still to be determined.
Every dollar made on an orchard is said to be worth four to the wider region, and horticultural leaders are calling for local and central government assistance.
“It’s not only apples, but the ground crops: The squash, the onions, maze [Maize]. It’s all severely impacted and a lot of people … don’t actually realise how extreme it is,” Bostock New Zealand apple company owner John Bostock said, on Thursday.
“This is a social, environmental and an economic problem. We’ve got our infrastructure compromised, we’ve got the heart of the economy compromised and socially so many people are disrupted. We need a government response. This is actually really, really serious.”
Apple and cherry grower Jerf van Beek counts himself among the lucky ones.
He and his family had minutes to pack a bag and leave their Twyford orchard as floodwater from the Ngaruroro River threatened to swamp them.
It wasn’t that the nearby stopbank failed. The water actually over-topped it.
It will take him three years to replant his 11-hectare apply orchard, at a cost of $180,000 to $250,000 per hectare.
“I haven’t got that sort of money in the bank. I would love to, but I haven’t,” van Beek said.
A Hawke’s Bay regional councillor for Ngaruroro, van Beek hosted a group of fellow growers, politicians and media at his orchard on Thursday, in a bid to provide perspective of the challenge that lies ahead.
While he talked passionately to the captive audience about how resilient his industry was and how it would rise again, the floorboards and contents of the straw bale family home he built with his own hands were being readied for a skip.
“This morning my wife and I had a bit of a cry. It was tough to see my wife hurt – it’s not what I live for,” said a tearful van Beek.
“All you see is our life’s work. We have a beautiful home, but come inside and it’s completely destroyed. The adrenalin will keep me going, but there will be times when we’re really sad about this.”
Van Beek feels the same way for Hawke’s Bay. It’s the regional council’s duty, he said, to keep the people of the province safe and that hadn’t happened on this occasion.
Bridges and stopbanks have proved inadequate, power and communicators systems have failed.
This is a time, van Beek said, to think about where we build homes and infrastructure and find better solutions for the future.
Photo caption – An emotional Jerf van Beek and fellow orchardists in front of what floodwaters did to his apples. Photo / Hamish Bidwell
4 www .hawkesbaytoday.co.nz News Friday, February 17, 2023
Cyclone Gabrielle For latest updates go to nzherald.co.nz
Planned upgrade too late
Flooded Redclyffe substation was identified as needing strengthening in 2020
Thomas Coughlan
The flooded Redclyffe substation, responsible for much of Napier and the Hawke’s Bay’s power outage, had been identified as critically at risk in 2020 and planning for resilience work was slated to begin later this year – had funding been approved.
Although it is questionable whether any resilience work would have stood up to Cyclone Gabrielle, the fact the substation could have been strengthened against flooding makes a strong case for accelerating resilience work on at-risk infrastructure.
Redclyffe was initially constructed in 1927 and then upgraded in the 1970s. Transpower chief executive Alison Andrew told the Herald it was built to “high resilience standards at the time (1 in 100-year flood)”.
Clearly, that wasn’t enough – and Andrew noted that evolving understanding of resilience means that now substations are built to withstand a 1 in 450-year flood.
The problem for Transpower, which owns and operates New Zealand’s national grid infrastructure, is that there are many other substations just like Redclyffe that are vulnerable to failure in a flood.
Andrew said that in 2020, Transpower sought to understand the flood risks of its assets under various scenarios.
Twelve substations, including Redclyffe, were identified as “critical for improving resilience to a one in 250-year flood”. More detailed study is scheduled for this year. Too late to keep the power on in Hawke’s Bay, but hopefully soon enough to improve resilience to future floods.
Transpower is keen to get budget to improve resilience and has put up a plan to invest $109m between 2025 and 2030 in resilience. This includes resilience from everything including flooding, which takes out substations and transmission lines that cross rivers, to solar storms – these are the enormous flares on the sun which are disruptive enough to knock out electrical equipment on Earth.
That funding for this resilience comes from transmission charges that form a portion of people’s power bills. As a state monopoly, Transpower’s expenditure is regulated by the Commerce Commission which has to approve the balance between fair transmission prices and expenditure plans.
“Our base funding includes incremental improvements in resilience as part of ongoing maintenance. In addition to that we have taken action and proposed a resilience programme as part of our next regulatory funding period. We have requested approval to spend an extra $109 million on resilience work.
“As part of this plan, planning for any additional resilience measures for Redclyffe would have commenced later this year in anticipation of the funding being approved,” Andrew said.
Andrew cited the Wairau Rd substation built in 2013 as an example of something built to a modern standard.
It was built to withstand a 1 in 450 year event.
“During the Auckland floods in late January this substation had 1.5m of water through it but remained fully operational and power continued to flow to 500,000 people as a result,” Andrew said. “All infrastructure providers strive to achieve the right balance of affordability, sustainability and reliability from their assets. It is not possible for any infrastructure company to build its network to the extent that outages never occur.
“However, Cyclone Gabrielle will prompt infrastructure providers, including Transpower, to reconsider our investment approach to resilience and whether it is sufficient for the future,” Andrew said.
As the crisis across the North Island drags on, questions are being asked about what gets rebuilt and how the rebuild takes into account the fact that devastating storms are likely to become more frequent.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was “almost certainly” time to rethink parts of the road network, he said. “We have to get real about some of the roads and the fact we are going to have to move some of the roads to where they are more resilient,” he said. It is difficult to get a picture of what is vulnerable and how much it would cost to replace – or how much it would cost to manage the retreat of infrastructure.
A 2019 analysis of coastal flooding exposure – different to the inland flooding seen after the cyclone – reckoned that by 1m of sea level rise occurring by 21—would make over 1441km of roads, 101km of railways, 72km of electricity transmission lines, 141 electricity structures, 14 airports and 4000km of Three Water pipelines exposed and in need of some form of strengthening, either in the form of protection or relocation.
Photo caption – Detail from an aerial shot of the flooded Redclyffe substation.
Residents urged to save water
James Pocock
Conservative water use and general caution are being advised for all Hawke’s Bay residents due to the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle on water supplies.
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council advised Level 4 water restrictions and a boil notice were in place throughout Waipawa, Otane and Waipukurau, meaning no outdoor water use, except in the case of an emergency, as of yesterday.
Clean water in Central Hawke’s Bay can be accessed at:
Waipawa Fire Station on Kenilworth St
Central Hawke’s Bay Municipal Theatre, Waipawa
Racecourse Rd, Waipukurau opposite GM Panel Beaters
Centralines Sports Stadium
Otane Town Hall
Advice to affected residents is to conserve water where possible, use water for emergency purposes only and avoid using appliances that use a lot, such as washing machines.
Wairoa District Council said water supplies were extremely limited last night and it was crucial to conserve water. “Wairoa town supply water is safe for drinking. Please boil water from other supplies to be safe.
“Please treat all floodwater as contaminated as the wastewater system is overwhelmed. Don’t rush to flush – this puts strain on the water and wastewater systems.”
Napier City Council has connected generators to drinking water supplies and while this has helped with pressure, residents have been asked to save water during the temporary fix.
Napier tap water is safe to drink, but NCC said people should limit showering and flushing, wash dishes and clothes by hand and should not wash down paving and driveways.
Hastings District Council water supplies were all safe for drinking yesterday afternoon, except for Te Pōhue which requires boiling and Whirinaki/Esk Hills, which had no water supply available and emergency response agencies assisting.
HDC advised those on tank and bore water to boil their water as a precaution as the supply may have been impacted by flood waters and/or wind-blown debris.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council said people need not panic buy as supermarkets were restocked yesterday.
HBRC said in an update on its Facebook page yesterday that Napier’s wastewater treatment plant was discharging untreated sewage through the outfall to sea and urged resident to NOT eat kai moana.
It was not known when the treatment plant will be repaired.
The Hawke’s Bay Environment Centre at 201 Southland Rd, Hastings has food, clothing of all sizes and toiletries available for those in need after a huge response to their call for donations.
Emma Horgan-Heke, chief executive officer of the Sustaining Hawke’s Bay Trust, said the centre was open 8am to late afternoon and will offer free lunches for the community over the next few days. She encouraged the community to visit and eat some warm kai around lunchtime.
Caterers BBQ Gourmet will offer a community barbecue from 4pm to 6pm today in the Cheval Room at the Hawke’s Bay Racecourse in Hastings.
Civil Defence centres are available for those in need of welfare and shelter at Centennial Hall, Latham St, Napier, Hastings Sports Centre, Railway Rd Hastings, Flaxmere Community Centre, Swansea Rd and CHB Municipal Theatre, Kenilworth St Waipawa, as of yesterday afternoon.
Still on air
The Hits Hawke’s Bay – 95.9FM: Your local station is available on the frequency 95.9FM for Napier and Hawke’s Bay locals to hear the latest news. Hosts Adam and Megan are in Napier and sharing regular news and updates for the Hawke’s Bay community.
Newstalk ZB – 96.7FM: Your favourite news and talk show is borrowing a frequency from our friends at Radio Hauraki while ours undergoes repairs following cyclone damage. It should be back up and running at our usual home soon – 90.3FM or 1278AM.
ZM – 95.9FM: For nationwide updates, news and entertainment with hosts including Fletch, Vaughan and Hayley at breakfast and Bree and Clint from 3pm – 7pm on weekdays.
Coast – 99.9FM: For nationwide updates, news and entertainment, with hosts including Toni Street, Jason Reeves and Sam Wallace at breakfast on weekdays.
Urgent medical care centres, GPs open
James Pocock
Te Whatu Ora Hawke’s Bay has confirmed urgent medical centres and several GPs in Napier and Hastings are now open to support those in need in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.
City Medical at Napier Health Centre is open 24 hours each day, while the urgent care clinic at Hastings Health Centre is open until 7pm each evening.
Elective surgeries, endoscopy services and outpatient appointments in Napier, Hastings, Wairoa and Central Hawke’s Bay were cancelled for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Te Whatu Ora said affected patients are being offered a telehealth appointment if appropriate or rebooked as soon as possible.
Three acute theatres (including emergency c-sections and urgent cancer surgery) and radiology are operating at Hawke’s Bay Hospital in Hastings.
People with children in pain can contact the Hastings Central Dental Clinic at 06 873 4860, which is providing a relief of pain clinic between 8am and 4.30pm.
Meals on Wheels was delivered in Hastings and plans were under way to restore the service to Napier on Thursday.
For a list of GPs and pharmacies open please see our website www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz
Photo caption – Residents carry pets and possessions as Venables Ave, Maraenui Napier, was evacuated on Wednesday. Photo/Paul Taylor
Road linking cities reopens for emergency services
The safety of Waitangi Bridge on SH51 was assessed yesterday afternoon and the road between Napier and Hastings reopened for emergency services and workers critical to the response effort.
The road had to close earlier yesterday ahead of a safety assessment by engineers.
It will be under temporary speed limits and is reduced to a single lane.
Waka Kotahi’s Hawke’s Bay journey manager Andre Taylor said it’s vital emergency services are given priority, along with essential workers.
“People will be stopped before heading across the bridge and asked to show an appropriate form of identification before being able to continue.
“This link between Napier and Hastings is vital. It’s currently the only link connecting Napier and Hastings and we need to ensure there are no delays for emergency services.
“Our contractors are also working at pace to clear debris on the second state highway link, the SH2 Napier Hastings Expressway.”
Photo caption – Hastings and Napier are still cut off from each other after heavy flooding and bridge safety assessments. Photo/Paul Taylor
Friday, February 17, 2023 News www .hawkesbaytoday.co.nz 5
Cyclone Gabrielle For latest updates go to nzherald.co.nz
Site online to help find loved ones
With hundreds of people listed by police as uncontactable, page aims to set fears at rest
Sam Sherwood
A Facebook page has been created for people worried about loved ones they have not heard from since Cyclone Gabrielle’s path of destruction.
Police said on Wednesday that four people were confirmed dead, including a young child. They have “grave fears” for several others.
Police said 1442 people have been listed as uncontactable, and while they expect this list to drop dramatically in coming days, there are fears for some missing people in the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne areas.
A Facebook page, HB Floods Lost Family & Friends, has been created to help people find their loved ones.
The page’s creator, Richard Lay, told the Herald he started the page in the hopes of being able to reconnect loved ones.
“I just set it up as I know myself and many, many others have no idea what’s going on.
“I figured if there is one group everyone can post and it’s known then connections can be made faster and easier than having to search through 10 different groups that have hundreds of posts,” Lay said.
“I know there is limited internet back home but if we can get this out there, then everyone including the rescued can go to one place.”
Lay has had his mother registered with the police and Civil Defence and has heard nothing back.
He messaged Civil Defence at 6.30am on Wednesday and was told they had no information.
Police said the body of a young person was located in Eskdale, Hawke’s Bay, shortly before 2pm on Wednesday. The child, whose age has not been released, is believed to have been caught in rising water on Tuesday.
This fourth confirmed death follows the recovery on Wednesday afternoon of the body of a volunteer firefighter from a landslide in Muriwai, Auckland.
Two other people have died in Hawke’s Bay – a woman was killed in a landslip on a rural property in Matahorua Rd, Putorino, on Tuesday afternoon and a body was located on the shore in Bay View, Napier, on Tuesday night.
“Police extend their condolences to the families of those who have died and continue to make inquiries,” a police statement said on Wednesday.
Photo caption – The debris at Bay View. Photo/Warren Buckland
Life won’t be same again – shocked families survey valley damage
A teary Sally Tong returned to her home of 30 years to find it devastated.
The home she and husband Kerry Tong share in Eskdale, on the outskirts of Napier, was in the path of the deadly floods which ripped through the Esk Valley during the early hours of Tuesday.
Those floodwaters have left behind a long trail of destruction including broken homes, busted roads, overturned vehicles, downed power lines, twisted train tracks, and decimated orchards and vineyards.
A major clean-up operation is under way in the valley and families have begun returning to their homes to see what can be salvaged.
“It is unbelievable. You can’t fathom it,” Sally said, of the destruction.
“There is nothing to salvage.”
She explained their home was badly damaged and silt was almost reaching the ceiling inside their home.
They said police came through their street, Shaw Rd, about 7pm on Monday warning residents of the potential for severe flooding.
The couple moved one of their cars to Bay View before coming back to the home to get their other two vehicles and dog.
The warning had escalated at that point and they quickly grabbed their dog and some clothing and evacuated the home around 9.30pm.
Fortunately, they escaped before the flooding turned into a raging river, but they lost most of their belongings as well as their cat.
Their street is now unrecognisable, with about 10 homes destroyed.
Kerry said “I don’t think it will be the same” again in the valley, even after all the clean-up and work is done. The couple are staying with their daughter, Baillie, in Napier.
Nearby resident Connie Lilley, who runs the Eskdale Cattery with her husband Gavin, said she was still in shock following the flooding.
The floodwaters reached their cattery but did not reach their home, and they managed to evacuate all 14 cats to another building higher up the hill.
Lilley said she was in the Christchurch CBD during the 2011 earthquake, and the “roaring sound” of the floodwaters was similar to that event.
“The sound was similar to the earthquake which happened in Christchurch,” she said. “It was just a monster.”
She said they had lost about six sheep in the floods, but all their other livestock had survived on the property. She said neighbours’ sheep and even a cow had also wandered on to their property to get away from the flooding.
Lilley said it was good to see the iconic Eskdale War Memorial Church was still standing off State Highway 5 near their home.
The areas of Puketapu, Taradale and Waiohiki were also severely hit by the flooding near Napier.
Meanwhile, communication from Wairoa has been difficult but early reports suggest that community has been severely impacted.
As at yesterday afternoon, three deaths had been confirmed from the floods in Hawke’s Bay.
A child was discovered on Wednesday afternoon in Eskdale and a person’s body washed up at nearby Bay View on Tuesday night.
A woman also died in Putorino further north following a land slide.
Many community members fear the death toll will rise.
Photo caption – A car through a house on Shaw Rd in Eskdale near Napier. Photo/Warren Buckland
Waiting for hours to fill cars and gas bottles in Napier after storm
Georgina Campbell
Napier residents were queuing for hours to refill gas bottles and refuel their vehicles as a severe thunderstorm watch is in place.
It comes as the full extent of the destruction from Cyclone Gabrielle is starting to dawn.
Thousands of people are out of their homes, many remain “uncontactable” on a missing-person database, and new images reveal wrecked roads and bridges, properties, and infrastructure.
Nearly 150,000 people were still without power across the North Island – and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council said yesterday that Napier should expect to be without electricity for the next two weeks.
There was a large line of people waiting to get their gas bottles filled at the Caltex in Napier on Hyderabad Rd.
The queue for petrol stretched through roundabouts and intersections. Road cones were in place to manage the queue.
Gary James had been waiting in line for an hour to fill his gas bottle.
“People just need to be a bit more prepared, I wasn’t. Here I am standing in a queue for gas bottles.
“I know that the freezer has got a lot of stuff for me to start cooking up if we don’t get the power back very soon.
“He said he would eventually have to throw out food in the freezer. There’s going to be a lot of waste.”
He had a barbecue for cooking and a gas burner to boil water for cups of tea.
Eftpos were available at Caltex. There were some essential supplies on the shelves like medicine, sugar, flour and canned food.
Police officers were on site keeping watch of the situation.
H Whiri had been waiting in line for petrol for three hours.
He resorted to filling up a plastic fuel can, and running back and forth to the service station, because it was faster than waiting to get the car to the pumps.
Whiri said he has been filling up to 5 litres at a time, which costs about $10.
He said the car’s petrol tank was very low and he wanted to fill it up in case they needed to head to higher ground again.
“We’re doing all right, we’ve got a gas barbecue and cooking for our elderly next door and boiling water for our little newborn baby.”
“It’s a struggle.”
Meanwhile, thunderstorms forecast for parts of the North Island could produce rates of 25mm-50mm an hour but pinpointing where they would take place “will be difficult”.
A severe thunderstorm watch was in place between 3pm to 10pm yesterday for Hawke’s Bay, Tairawhiti Gisborne, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Taupo.
MetService meteorologist Andrew James said they would be “short-lived and fast-moving”.
“MetService is only expecting a few thunderstorms to pop up this afternoon – most likely in the Bay of Plenty region and the Tairawhiti Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay ranges.
“This type of activity is always spotty and pinpointing exactly where impacts will be is difficult – that’s the complexity of forecasting thunderstorms and why we have such a broad area under watch.
“Although thunderstorms through Tairawhiti Gisborne ranges of this sort are not normally an issue, this extra rainfall could exacerbate the already vulnerable area.”
Any thunderstorms were expected to be localised and very different to the widespread rain from the past few days. Thunderstorm activity would ease and a few showers would hang around this morning but settled weather was expected this weekend.
Eastland Network is advising people to conserve power as 4500 of its customers across Tairawhiti and Hawke’s Bay remain without power.
“The Gisborne city area and parts of Wairoa have power. Ruatoria, Te Araroa, Tokomaru Bay and Tolaga Bay townships, and Mahia, are running on generators,” a post by Eastland Network on Facebook said.
They are advising people to treat lines as live at all times following reports of people using chainsaws and vehicles to clear trees and roads where powerlines are down.
“This is a serious risk to your safety – keep well clear. We’ll post updates on our FB page, and encourage everyone to follow the local Civil Defence pages and listen to the news.”
Unison was also asking reconnected customers in Hawke’s Bay to conserve power use as it continues restoration efforts. This is due to limited power supply coming into the region from Transpower’s damaged Redclyffe substation. It had restored power to 39,400 customers since Monday night. Unison relationship manager Danny Gough said restoring power to Hawke’s Bay “continues to be challenging” due to limited regional supply. “We’re asking all Hawke’s Bay customers now reconnected to the network to please conserve power where possible.”
Photo caption – Gary James.
CYCLONE GABRIELLE UPDATES
KEEPING YOU INFORMED
Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence and the region’s councils have collated the following information for residents. There will be gaps, as communication remains very challenging. The first section covers information that applies to all areas, followed by area-specific information.
STAY SAFE, STAY INFORMED, AND STAY OUT OF FLOODWATERS.
ALL AREAS
Rivers are still high and conditions are hazardous. Keep away from beaches and coastal areas.
While the immediate need to evacuate has lessened the situation may change. If you feel unsafe please evacuate, you do not need to be told. If you leave your home, please take vital supplies including medication with you, and leave your homes secure.
Put safety first. Don’t take any chances.
Act quickly if you see rising water. In an emergency, call 111.
Never try to walk, swim or drive through flood water. Flood water in urban areas may contain wastewater which could make you sick.
If you do evacuate, stay with friends or family, or if this is not an option, go to a Civil Defence Centre.
Check on your neighbours, vulnerable family members and anyone who might need your help.
While Cyclone Gabrielle has now moved away from Aotearoa New Zealand, Hawke’s Bay and the East Coast are still feeling the impacts. Please continue to monitor the weather and be ready to act.
For the latest weather information, visit www.metservice.com
CD
CIVIL DEFENCE
HAWKE’S BAY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
GROUP
CIVIL DEFENCE CENTRES
Please note this is subject to change based on capacity limits being reached and new locations being established.
HASTINGS
Hastings Sport Centre, 503 Railway Road, Hastings
Mitre 10 Sports Park, Hastings
Equippers Church, Hastings
St Andrews Hall, Hastings
Waipatu Marae, Hastings
FLAXMERE
Flaxmere Community Centre, Flaxmere
Ascend Church Flaxmere
Malamalama Centre EFKS, Flaxmere
Cook Island Center, Flaxmere
Te Aranga Marae, Flaxmere
NAPIER
Tamatea College, 61 Freyberg Avenue, Tamatea
Centennial Hall, 127 Vigor Brown Street, Napier South
CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY
Centralines Stadium, Waipukurau
CHB Theatre, Waipawa
WAIROA
Wairoa College, Wairoa
Wall Memorial Hall, Wairoa
Presbyterian Hall, Wairoa
PETS
Your animals are your responsibility. Take them with you if you have to evacuate your property. Make sure you take cats in cages and have muzzles and leads for dogs. Remember to take pet food if you have it.
PHONE & INTERNET
The telecommunications network remains a significant problem for all of Hawke’s Bay. Some phone networks are coming back online but it will take time before the network is fully operational. Accessing the internet remains a challenge where there is no power for home or businesses internet modems and no cellular data network.
UNCONTACTABLE PEOPLE
If you think someone is in immediate danger, call 111.
Not being able to reach loved ones is stressful.
They may simply have no access to a phone or internet. However, if you have concerns, please lodge them with the Police via 105 or you have internet, via https://forms.police.govt.nz/person-inquired-for.
Please let the Police know if a person you were looking to reach has been contacted so they can direct their efforts to the next enquiry via 105 or https://forms.police.govt.nz/im-alive
POWER
Everyone involved recognises the loss of power is significant for our region and the wellbeing of communities. Lines crews are working tirelessly to get as much power restored into the area as quickly as possible.
Be prepared for power outages to possibly remain for a number of days. It will be some time before power is restored, particularly for the Napier urban area and our rural areas where road access is blocked by substantial damage.
An initial assessment of the flooded Redclyffe substation near Taradale indicates there is extensive damage after flood waters reached heights exceeding 1.5 metres inside the control room.
Given the extensive damage and the likely time to repair the substation, the focus now is on creating a bypass to enable it to connect to the Whakatu substation north-east of Hastings. Transpower have been working with local lines company Unison on this bypass option and expect to be able to provide an update later today on when it will be completed.
In addition to flooding at Redclyffe substation, there has been extensive flooding at Whirinaki substation north of Napier which supplies power solely to Pan Pac Forest Products Limited. It is also the entry point to the grid for generation from Contact Energy. Access to this site is currently only by air.
HAWKE’S BAY
REGIONAL COUNCIL
TE KAUNIHERA A-ROHE O TE MATAU-A-MAUI
NAPIER
CITY COUNCIL
Te Kaunihera o Ahuriri
HASTINGS
DISTRICT COUNCIL
CENTRAL
HAWKE’S BAY
DISTRICT COUNCIL
WAIROA DISTRICT COUNCIL
Transpower is working closely with NEMA and HB Civil Defence Emergency Management Group to get access to the resources they need.
ROADS
Hundreds of roads across the region are impacted by slips, flooding, fallen trees and power lines.
Contractors are focusing on accessibility around the local roading network. As roads open, they should only be used for essential travel and please drive to the conditions. Non-essential traffic is getting in the way of emergency and essential supply vehicles. Many roads will be a 30km/h temporary speed limit. Observe the makeshift roundabouts made from traffic cones where traffic lights are down.
SH2 from Napier to Wairoa is closed with bridges washed away. Connectivity to Gisborne and through SH38 are being worked on in conjunction with the Whakatane and Gisborne Councils.
Six bridges in the Hastings district have been destroyed. Brookfields Bridge, Rissington Bridge, Dartmoor Bridge, Hawkston Rd Bridge, Redcliffe [Redclyffe] Bridge, Vicarage Rd Bridge. Eighteen other bridges are damaged, and numerous roads have been impacted with flooding and slips, particularly in rural areas.
If you need to be travelling, please take extreme care on our rural roads.
There is widespread and significant damage to the region’s infrastructure and many areas remain isolated.
Waka Kotahi is working hard to restore the state highway routes as quickly as possible
A number of roads are under stop/go control and/or 30km/hr speed restrictions. If you must drive, please take exceptional care. Observe traffic management.
At least 18 bridges are impassable with six currently destroyed or in need of major repairs before they can be used again.
Councils are focused on clearing debris from their roading networks as flood waters recede, but with hundreds of roads blocked by floods and debris, it will take some time for all roads to be able to be driven.
DRINKING WATER SAFETY
If you rely on a roof-fed tank or bore for your water supply (that is not Council’s urban supply) please boil your drinking water as a precaution. Your supply may have been impacted by flood waters and/or wind-blown debris. This situation is unknown as we are unable to test all bores, but we would advise you to use caution. Upon returning to normal operations its advised to get your water tested to ensure it[s] safe to drink.
I can’t boil water, what can I do to make it drinkable?
If you can’t boil water and you don’t have bottled water, you can use water from your hot water cylinder. Spa and swimming pool water can be used for bathing.
If you do not have power to boil water (1 min rolling boil), then purifying tablets or bleach can be added to ensure its safety. Add 5 drops of household bleach per litre of water (or half a teaspoon for 10 litres) and leave for 30 minutes. Do not use bleaches that contain added scent or perfume, surfactants, or other additives – they can make people sick.
CONSERVE WATER
Don’t flush the toilet unless you need to and limit showering. Do not use dishwashers and washing machines. Don’t hose down paving and driveways. Drink plenty of water, and use if [it] for cooking, hygiene, medical and business needs, and making formula but please, do not waste water.
HEALTH SERVICES & ADVICE
Always wash your hands with soap and water after handling articles contaminated with flood water and after cleaning up from the flood. This is extremely important to help prevent the spread of disease. Flood water is potentially contaminated with faecal matter from animals and sewage and can contain lots of nasty bugs that could make you and your family sick.
If you need health advice call Healthline free on 0800 611 116.
If you feel unwell after coming into contact with flood water, call your doctor or Healthline free on 0800 611 116
A number of hospital services in Hawke’s Bay including elective surgeries, endoscopy and outpatient appointments have been cancelled.
Acute surgeries and urgent radiology procedures are still going ahead.
Urgent clinics:
City Medical at Napier Health Centre is open (24-hours)
Urgent care clinic at Hastings Health Centre (until 7pm tonight)
Hawke’s Bay Hospital’s ED and Napier Health Centre are open but please leave them for medical emergencies.
GP Services
Power outages have caused communication barriers, but below are the general practices we’ve been able to reach and confirm are open.
Napier: Maraenui Medical Centre (10-12pm), Taradale Medical Centre (9am-midday), Greendale Medical Centre, Carlyle Medical Centre (limited hours)
Hastings: The Medical and Injury Centre in Hastings, The Doctors Hastings, Totara Hastings, Totara Flaxmere, The Doctors Gascoigne, Hauora Heretaunga
Rural: Tukituki Medical Centre, The Doctors Waipawa
Pharmacies
Most pharmacies in Hastings are open.
Pharmacies in Napier open include: Napier Health Centre pharmacy, Unichem on Munroe Street at The Doctors Napier, Greenmeadows Pharmacy at The Doctors Greenmeadows, Glenn’s Pharmacy In Central Hawke’s Bay, Unichem Waipukurau and Waipawa Pharmacy are open.
The Hastings Central Dental Clinic is providing a pain relief clinic between 8am-4.30pm.
CYCLONE GABRIELLE UPDATES
KEEPING YOU INFORMED
HOUSING
Council staff are inspecting damaged properties.
Following an inspection, properties are receiving either a WHITE (Full access), YELLOW (Partial access) or RED (No access) sticker.
Our Welfare Response Team will be contacting residents stickered RED and YELLOW to offer support and discuss next steps.
FOOD SAFETY
Managing hygiene around food preparation and cooking requires more thought than normal during a flood event. Remember to:
Wash and dry your hands before preparing food (if water is in short supply, keep some in a bowl with disinfectant); ensure all utensils are clean and cook food thoroughly.
Do not eat food that may have come into contact with flood water, including fruit and vegetables from your garden.
Using your BBQ
Use your BBQ outside – Do not cook with it inside the house or garage because charcoal and gas BBQs produce large amounts of carbon monoxide which can be fatal.
Power is off, what should I eat first?
Eat foods with use-by and best-before dates first because they spoil more quickly than non-perishable food. This includes things like bread, unfrozen meat, salads, cold cuts and dairy products like milk and cheese.
All perishable food can become unsafe if it reaches temperatures where harmful bacteria can grow. Of course, we don’t want food to go to waste, but the last thing anyone who has been through a serious weather event needs is a dose of food poisoning, so if in doubt, throw it out.
Leave frozen food in the freezer and try to open the freezer as little as possible. Freezers are well- insulated and will hold the cold temperature for some time.
After the power returns, if the food is still visibly frozen (for example, it still has ice crystals on it), and packaging isn’t damaged or open, you can safely refreeze it.
If the food has defrosted, you should not refreeze it. You can keep or use thawed food, you just need to keep it cold (in the fridge) until you cook it.
Can I eat seafood that has washed up on the beach?
No, dead fish or shellfish should never be collected, no matter how fresh they may look, as they can contain harmful bacteria.
Collecting live seafood from the ocean directly after any large-storm events should also be avoided, due to increased risk of contamination from stormwater runoff or overflows from sewerage systems.
Fridge is out, how do I keep food cold enough to eat?
Open your fridge/freezer as little as possible to help keep it and the food inside cooler for longer.
You could consider putting the things that you plan to eat and drink over the next few hours in a chilly bin with ice or frozen ice packs, to minimise opening the fridge/freezer.
Best before dates: is there wiggle room here?
If the ‘use by’ date on a packaged product in your fridge or pantry has come and gone, bin it. It is not safe to eat.
However, food should still be safe to eat after the ‘best before’ date, but it’s likely to have lost some quality. Give food the eye test and the sniff test. If it looks or smells wrong, don’t take the risk – throw it out.
MONEY
If shops are open take cash with you as Eftpos may not be working.
Hastings has a number of operating ATM; in Napier the ATM in Countdown on Munroe Street is operational.
Civil Defence payments are available if you have been affected by the cyclone. Call 0800 400 100 or visit Cyclone Gabrielle – Work and Income
RURAL SECTOR
It is a tough time for farmers and growers who had only just started the clean-up after the heavy rain and flooding in January.
Events can be a blow for many farmers, growers, and rural businesses; help is available from many sources. Industry groups, Rural Support Trusts and other resource providers are there to support you.
If you have a way to share messaging from Civil Defence and Council throughout your community and are able to contact us, please email: [email protected] or private message Hastings District Council’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/hastingsdc. PLEASE label messages RURAL CONTACT. We are very aware that digital communications are limited. CDEM has activated the National Fuel Management Plan, so if farmers need fuel, contact HB CDEM so they can be prioritised.
The Government is providing $4 million to help farmers, growers, whenua Maori owners and rural communities mobilise and co-ordinate recovery efforts. Further support will be considered as full assessments of damage are carried out.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is meeting with the sector regularly to help build a full picture of damage and the immediate needs to support farmers, growers, and whenua Maori entities and has staff on the ground in regions helping the response efforts.
MPI’s focus at the moment is on ensuring people and rural communities are safe. Further support and guidance will be provided once a greater understanding of the scale is understood and the region is able to focus on recovery rather than safety. MPI is providing support by restarting its national Feed Working Group. It’s a partnership between MPI, sector groups and specialist providers.
The group monitors access to feed availability, and if a significant need arises works with local networks and other partners to consider options to overcome feed availability issues. The group is due to hold its first meeting tomorrow Thursday 16 February.
HAWKE’S BAY
REGIONAL COUNCIL
TE KAUNIHERA A-ROHE O TE MATAU-A-MAUI
NAPIER
CITY COUNCIL
Te Kaunihera o Ahuriri
HASTINGS
DISTRICT COUNCIL
CENTRAL
HAWKE’S BAY
DISTRICT COUNCIL
WAIROA DISTRICT COUNCIL
PET AND LARGE ANIMAL WELFARE
Animal evacuations have happened in hardest hit areas, with MPI supporting evacuation planning.
MPI is coordinating animal welfare response efforts in flood-impacted areas in Hawke’s Bay.
MPI has been made aware of horses in the Hawke’s Bay that are missing or needing assistance. If possible, owners of horses should move their animals to higher ground and shelter and reach out to neighbours if they need help.
Please contact your local council (if communication channels are available) for any non-urgent requests regarding animal welfare.
Any reports, such as missing animals, can be sent to [email protected] or 04 894 0132 if you need assistance with animal rescue or evacuation.
We have received offers of temporary accommodation. Please email [email protected]. nz or call 04 894 0132 if your animals need to be accommodated.
If you have a horse that has gone missing please post on one of the equine Facebook pages.
If there is an urgent need overnight, and you can’t reach council, please call MPI’s on-call animal welfare emergency management team directly on 04 894 0132.
Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated
Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated welcomes any koha to help support our communities in the as wake of the cyclone devastation. Funds will be distributed to affected communities across the tribal rohe.
Direct deposit: 02-0644-0117140-00. Reference: KOHA.
If you have internet, stay informed by linking to our website and face book pages https://www.kahungunu.iwi.nz/cyclonegabrielle
Dr Jeremy Tatere MacLeod will be sharing live updates on our face book page as and when able – link in https://www.facebook.com/kahungunu
Things are changing on the go, so keep updated by linking to these pages.
CYCLONE GABRIELLE UPDATES
KEEPING YOU INFORMED
A message from Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
Tena koutou katoa,
This week has been one of the most challenging for Hawke’s Bay residents with the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle likely to be with us for months.
We are all shocked with the loss of life and are concerned about the people impacted by floods including those in Wairoa. We are supporting welfare efforts wherever we can. It will be a storm remembered for generations
Through this disruptive period we have seen and heard many stories of the brave efforts and kind acts of countless people. From dramatic rescues to generous gifts of food and shelter.
What has been less recognised is the work of all those who are getting Hawke’s Bay back on its feet – from council workers from Hawke’s Bay to Napier to Hastings to Central Hawke’s Bay to Wairoa.
Clearly many of our staff have had to deal with disruption to their own lives while at the same time carrying on the work that restores infrastructure and prevents further damage.
While Napier continues to operate with little power supply and intermittent cell phone and other communications it is important everybody only share accurate information. Unfortunately, we have seen spurious claims on social media, in particular. This is not helpful.
Please, if you see a social media post that seems to have news in it, please don’t share it unless you have verified the source is accurate. In this way we will all be better informed.
Another thing I’d like to ask all of you to do is to take good care of your immediate whanau, but consider reaching out to your neighbours and, if you are able, to others nearby. This is to ensure they have everything they need and is a way we can support each other in these trying times.
I have faith in those you elected and all the council staffs to work as hard as they can to get all of Hawke’s Bay back on its feet.
Kiha [Kia] kaha,
Hinewai Ormsby
Chair, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
A message from Napier City Council
To the people of Napier,
Thank you for your strength, resilience, courage and patience through what is the most challenging time many of you will ever have been through. My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and those who are without homes.
I know many of you are struggling to connect with friends and whanau, if you have concerns for their safety, I urge you to contact Police on 105 or visit 105.police.govt.nz.
Please know, we are doing everything we can to restore services to our city. It is our priority to work at a national and regional level to get the power back on and open roads to reconnect us with the rest of the country.
Although devastated by what we are living through, I am warmed by the power of the human spirit during this time. Thank you to our community for carrying each other through this.
Kia kaha Napier.
Mayor Kirsten Wise
Food Supplies
Supermarkets are getting back up and running with generators. Please only buy enough food for a few days so there is enough to go around. Storing food is challenging without power, try to buy long life food that doesn’t need to go in the fridge or freezer.
Council Facilities
All Council facilities will remain closed until further notice. This includes Napier Libraries, Napier Aquatic Centre, National Aquarium of New Zealand, MTG, Faraday Centre, Municiple [Municipal] Theatre,
Rubbish And Recycling
All collections are cancelled this week. Store all rubbish and recycling at your home, please do not leave it out on the street. Store spoiled food in a way that animals can’t get access.
A message from Hastings District Council
Kia ora koutou
Greetings to you all at this sad and difficult time. The devastation we are seeing this week is unprecedented, never seen in our lifetimes before.
Part of this tragedy has been the loss of lives and my thoughts and prayers go to those who have lost loved ones.
Our council, in conjunction with our emergency response partners, is focused on getting to our isolated and stranded communities to offer support and assistance.
Civil Defence and Fire and Emergency New Zealand are working tirelessly to find people, to make contact.
We know communications are limited and this is very frustrating and making the situation so much worse. There is a lot of hard work happening to get communication channels up and running so people can be connected again.
We have a strong community, one that’s resilient and one where people support each other, and this will help us rise to the challenge of recovering from this devastation.
Stay strong, kia kaha
Hastings mayor
Sandra Hazlehurst
Hastings Drinking Water Supplies
Main urban water supply (serving Bridge Pa, Flaxmere, Hastings, Havelock North): Safe for drinking.
Clive: safe for drinking
Te Pohue: Boil all drinking water
Waimarama: Water supply reinstated; safe for drinking
Haumoana/Te Awanga: safe for drinking
Esk Ridge: Safe for drinking
Whirinaki/Esk Hills: Water supply unavailable; emergency response agencies assisting
Waipatiki: Safe for drinking
Whakatu: Safe for drinking
Waipatu: Safe for drinking
Omahu: Safe for drinking
Stormwater
Please also don’t sweep any leaf litter or other green matter into drains and kerbside gutters as this risks blocking the stormwater network.
The plan for clearing tree debris off the urban roads is underway to protect the stormwater system, now that tree-blocked streets have been made safe.
Emergency arrangements have been made to take the street debris from Council contractors. It is not yet available to private landowners, but a plan is being formed to help once we get the streets sorted.
Parks
Please stay out of all parks and reserves (and cemeteries if possible) due to the danger of falling limbs and trees in high winds, slippery paths and slips.
Rubbish and Recycling
Cyclone Gabrielle has caused major damage to waste and recycling facilities. Omarunui Landfill has been closed, and there is no option to take waste and recycling out of the district due to road closures. Council is looking at all options to manage waste and store it in a way that does not have negative public health implications. Residents are asked to store all waste tidily at home until the situation improves.
Kerbside collection was planned for Saturday, February 18, but because of the landfill closure this is cancelled. If the landfill is open and road access is clear, kerbside rubbish collection will resume on Monday, February 20 – please put out on your usual collection day at the usual time. If there are roading issues or the landfill is unable to open, it will not be picked up. Please take it back inside and store it until the following week. Kerbside recycling collection has been paused until further notice, and an update on green waste disposal will be provided next week.
In Hastings, if you have rubbish that you urgently want to dispose of, it can be disposed of in an official orange Council rubbish bag(s) and dropped off at Henderson Road Transfer station. Council rubbish bags can be purchased from Hastings, Havelock North and Flaxmere New Worlds.
In Napier, Redclyffe Transfer Station is currently closed due to flood damage. Teams are working to enable this to open as soon as possible. However this may still take some time.
As roads open up, hopefully next week, the team will assess the rural recycling stations and get them back into commission as soon as we possibly can.
Council Facilities
All Hastings District Council facilities have been closed for the past week, and will remain closed until Sunday, February 19: swimming pools, community centres, i-Sites, libraries and the Customer Service Centre in Lyndon Rd. At this stage the plan is to re-open them on Monday. If that changes council will inform the community as soon as possible. All inquiries can be made by 06 871 5000.
HAWKE’S BAY
REGIONAL COUNCIL
TE KAUNIHERA A-ROHE O TE MATAU-A-MAUI
NAPIER
CITY COUNCIL
Te Kaunihera o Ahuriri
HASTINGS
DISTRICT COUNCIL
CENTRAL
HAWKE’S BAY
DISTRICT COUNCIL
WAIROA DISTRICT COUNCIL
A message from CHB District Council
With the situation continually evolving, our priority remains the safety and welfare of our people.
It’s crucial that we get timely and useful information to our people who may be facing immense challenges. We’ll continue to keep our community updated on our Facebook page, by regular briefings, and through our team working hard out on the ground.
While we respond to urgent needs across the district, we’re also working to understand the wider impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, including on our water supplies and our roading network.
We’re asking our community to continue to travel with extreme caution on the roads, and reach out to family, friends and neighbours to check they are OK and up to date with the latest information.
The number to call to report issues is 06 857 80 60. Remember, in an emergency call 111.
We are strong, resilient community and we’ll continue to support each other through this event.
Thank you so much for staying safe, Central Hawke’s Bay!
Alex Walker
Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor
Water
There are critical water restrictions in the townships of Otane, Waipukurau and Waipawa.
Please continue to boil water until further notice.
You will still need to collect bottled water and water for household activities like drinking, cooking and washing.
Power
There are currently widespread outages across the district.
It you are experiencing no power or wish to report an emergency fault, such as fallen live lines, a motor accident or have heard a large bang, please phone 0800 NO POWER (0800 667 693). For more information visit – https://www.centralines.co.nz/outages.
Roads
Many of our main roads connecting our rural towns are blocked including Pōrangahau, Pourerere, Elsthorpe, Wakarara and Tikokino Roads. We have nearly 50 roads closed across the district, and more where drivers are advised to take caution. For a full visit Council’s website, chbdc.govt.nz
Rubbish and Recycling
There will be two skip bins at either end of Bibby St and one on Victoria St in Waipawa by the end of today for people to dispose of flood damaged goods.
There is also a skip bin at Ongaonga Hall and two at the Porangahau public toilets. Once full they will be emptied and returned, please be patient if they are not in place on your arrival – they will be back as soon as possible.
A message from Wairoa District Council
Parts of our district and community have been devastated. We are desperately in need of assistance. We are geographically isolated with roads into the district closed and bridges washed away on State Highways. We have received very little help because we are so cut off and everywhere around us is in emergency mode.
The North Clyde side of the town has been hugely impacted.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated mostly from properties surrounding the river catchment.
We are managing, but our isolation means we are severely challenged particularly around food, water supply, fuel and communications. At this stage we have enough food, water and fuel for the next few days.
Damage to the roading network, lack of phone and internet means there are many people who we have not been able to make contact with.
We are working to ensure people’s safety and trying to provide the best services we can given our limitations, particularly our isolation.
A big thank you to our farming community for their help and support in evacuating people in very scary conditions.
Locally, people are being asked to conserve and rationalise everything.
Thank you to all those local people who are assisting.
Craig Little
Wairoa Mayor
Food
We have limited supplies of food – please ration what you have. If you go shopping, please only buy enough for two days to allow others to access food.
If you urgently need kai packs they will be available for pick up from the Te Whare Maire building from 10 – 11am and 2 – 3pm daily.
Water
The urban drinking water is safe to drink. If you are on a private supply (tank or bore) please boil your water for drinking as a precaution. Water supplies are low, please only use water for drinking.
Please treat all flood water as contaminated as the wastewater system is overwhelmed. Don’t rush to flush – this puts strain on the wastewater system
Power & Fuel
Electricity supply is erratic throughout the district.
We are working to access food, water, fuel and generators which have been identified as priorities for the Wairoa district.
The Wairoa fuel supply is limited and is only available essential services including emergency services, health and Civil Defence
Housing
Council building staff are inspecting damaged properties
If your property has been damaged please take photos of the damage as these may be able to be used later for insurance claims
If you have concerns or queries please call into the Wairoa District Council offices.
CD
CIVIL DEFENCE
HAWKE’S BAY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
GROUP
www.hbemergency.govt.nz
WORKING TOGETHER
Napier City Council
Wairoa District Council
Hastings District Council
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council
12 www .hawkesbaytoday.co.nz News Friday, February 17, 2023
Cyclone Gabrielle For latest updates go to nzherald.co.nz
Driver safe despite odds
Truck shown in NZDF photo – driver airlifted
Chris Marriner
The family of a truck driver stranded on a destroyed section of State Highway 2 in northern Hawke’s Bay have commented after a startling New Zealand Defence Force photograph showed his vehicle stricken among debris on a corner known as Devil’s Elbow.
The photograph was taken by the NZDF as a helicopter crew surveyed the key route, showing the damage wrought by surging waters and the forestry slash they carried.
The driver was travelling back to Hastings on Monday when he went missing, his family confirmed to the Herald.
He endured a harrowing wait until 10pm on Tuesday before he was airlifted to safety.
He is now resting and recovering at home, said his family, who were eager to let people know he was safe.
“The main thing we’d like people who see that terrible picture to know is that he is safe,” a family spokesperson said. “He is currently in quite a bit of shock and not in a position to comment. (He) just needs to get his mindset back.”
Other photos released by the NZDF show the scale of the task facing authorities working to restore the road, which connects Napier to Wairoa and smaller communities such as Tutira and Pūtōrino, where a woman died when a landslide struck her home.
Wairoa’s mayor has put out an urgent request for emergency assistance from “all agencies”.
Craig Little said they are desperately in need of assistance, with hundreds evacuated from properties mainly surrounding the river catchment.
“We are geographically isolated with roads into the district closed and bridges washed away on state highways. We have received very little help because we are so cut off and everywhere around us is in emergency mode.”
Little said while they are managing their isolation, that meant they were severely challenged, particularly around food, water supply, fuel and communications.
“At this stage we have enough food, water and fuel for the next few days. Damage to the roading network, lack of phone and internet means there are many people who we have not been able to make contact with.”
He said the event was being described as “the most catastrophic” weather event to hit the area in living memory.
Photo caption – Forestry slash traps a truck and trailer unit on State Highway 2 between Napier and Wairoa. Photo/New Zealand Defence Force
Night time dash to escape rising flood
Gary Hamilton-Irvine
A Napier man has recalled a wild escape with his caravan as rising floodwaters threatened to sweep him and his family away.
Shayne Daysh was the only resident at Eskdale Holiday Park to escape with his caravan in the deadly floods which ravaged Esk Valley in the early hours of Tuesday, north of Napier.
“It chased us all the way up the hill. I thought it was going to take me.”
He said emergency services were knocking on caravan doors about 2am or 2.30am that morning and said “go now”.
Fortunately, Daysh had his caravan hooked up to his vehicle and hot footed it out of the park, while his partner and 10 year old daughter followed close behind in their car.
“I just booted it all the way up the hill.
“There were five cars behind me and just one made it – my wife and my daughter.”
He said all those people in the other cars behind him had survived but lost their vehicles to the floodwaters which rose quickly across the roads.
He said he could not see the road as he ploughed through floodwaters toward the Eskdale School evacuation point, a drive he has done many times before.
“I have done it 1000 times and just knew where to go – I was going so fast.
“It was scary. There were a lot of apples from the orchards (floating past).”
He said when they reached the school the sound from the floodwaters behind him was shocking.
“All you could hear was the cries of people. It was so dark. People were screaming and houses smashing and hundreds of sheep just crying out.”
He said it was only a five-minute drive up the hill but it “felt like forever”.
He said they did not know where they would go now and had been living at the caravan park for three years.
His partner, Richelle, is a nurse and was helping care for people at Bay View Hotel which has been transformed into an evacuation centre with locals supplying food and blankets and clothing.
As at yesterday morning, three deaths had been confirmed from the floods in Hawke’s Bay.
Two were linked to the Esk Valley flood which included a child discovered on Wednesday afternoon in Eskdale, and a person whose body washed up at nearby Bay View on Tuesday night. A woman also died in Putorino further north following a landslide.
If you have been unable to contact a friend or family member – or if you have fled the storm and want others to know you are safe – you can post a message on the NZ Herald’s community noticeboard.
Photo caption – Shayne Daysh with his daughter Diamond Daysh, 10, who narrowly escaped the floods in Esk Valley with their caravan in tow. Photo/Warren Buckland
Waiohiki faces long recovery after days of devastation
Mitchell Hageman
A number of people with critical medical conditions have been evacuated from the temporarily blocked off settlement of Waiohiki, which has borne the full brunt of the flooding over the past few days.
Around 160 Waiohiki residents sought refuge at the Waiohiki Marae on Tuesday when flood waters rose, as it is perceived as one of the settlement’s high points.
Marae spokeswoman Hinewai Ormsby said everyone who was critically ill was rescued from the marae, with 80 people leaving yesterday morning with emergency personnel.
“The river started making its own path through Waiohiki,” Ormsby said.
“Houses on both sides of Waiohiki Rd were very damaged.”
She said some whanau weree [were] now starting to move dirt away from houses. About 80 residents remain, who want help clear damage during the day and have a central hub to return to in the evening at the marae where they can have a hot feed and a wipe down.
“We have no power or generators and we’re cooking off just gas at the moment. We’ve had clean water bought in by the army today, and some food supplies as well so we are making do.”
Ormsby said a lack of communication is something that is challenging the whole region.
“I’m limited with my communication back to the council, councillors and local mayors. I think this is going to be a huge recovery and it’s an unprecedented event for our region.
Many residents have gone above and beyond to help keep the community safe, with one man utilising his loader truck to help out.
“We had an uncle with a big loader truck and he pretty much drove up and down Waiohiki Rd a few times and everyone jumped on the back with whatever they could.”
The devastation around Waiohiki Rd was very visible, with floodwater still lingering and large tree trunks blocking the roads. Napier Golf Club was still partially underwater, with abandoned and partially submerged cars littering the surrounding area.
In a strong plea to the region, Ormsby asked the community to stay strong. “Kia kaha Hawke’s Bay.”
Photo caption – Hinewai Ormsby and her son Kipa have spent the past few days assisting Waiohiki residents. Photo/Paul Taylor
Home gave workers motivation
Vaimoana Mase
As the cold floodwaters quickly rose higher up against his body, it was the thought of his parents that willed young orchard worker Benjamin Leota to swim harder.
“I nearly gave up – I was about to give up. But then I thought of my mum and dad back home. I remembered the last time they said goodbye to me.
“That was the last power I had in me, to push myself to keep swimming. I just thought: ‘I have to swim’.”
The 23-year-old, who calls Samoa home, has worked at an apple orchard in the Hawke’s bay for the last two years as part of the Recognised Seasonal Employment scheme.
A proud son of Onosa’i Leota and Fialogo Manutulia Leota, from the village of Solosolo, he is the eldest of 10 siblings and acknowledges it is his duty to work and earn money for his family.
The young man described harrowing scenes as he and seven other workmates found their floor quickly filling up with water in the early hours of Tuesday.
“I can’t describe how quick the water rose,” he told the Herald.
“It was just another level. We didn’t count minutes – it happened in seconds.”
Leota said the group felt their accommodation apartments would be too low, so a decision was made to try to swim to a higher container towards the back of the property.
“I felt scared straight away. There were eight of us and it was hard because the water was getting too high. Some of us were starting to give up.
“But when one of us was weak, the others would grab him or encourage him to keep swimming.”
The workers, however, quickly found themselves overwhelmed as they tried to get to the container.
The workmates managed to get to a vehicle that was not as inundated and stayed in there, wet and hungry, until rescuers arrived about 4pm – about nine hours after their ordeal started.
They were one of several groups of RSE workers rescued from various orchards around Hawke’s Bay, including a group of Samoan workers stuck on a roof for several hours and workers from Tonga who took to Facebook to livestream their ordeal when the nearby Tutaekuri River burst its banks.
Churches turned into evacuation sites and Leota and his workmates are among 60 RSE workers staying at the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (EFKS) church in Hastings, which opened its church hall on Tuesday night to help those now without a home.
Reverend Sunita Nua said he and his wife saw a video on Facebook of workers pleading for help as they stood stranded on rooftops, surrounded by floodwaters.
“We just wanted to help,” Nua said.
“About 40 of them were brought here last night – cold, with no belongings and very hungry. Our church and the local community brought blankets, bedding items and food.
“We’re so grateful for our community for the support that they’re showing these young men.”
Other Pacific RSE workers are at the Hastings Sport Centre, local marae and the King’s House Church in Napier.
Photo caption – Benjamin Leota
Friday, February 17, 2023 News www .hawkesbaytoday.co.nz 13
Cyclone Gabrielle For latest updates go to nzherald.co.nz
Mayor a comms hub
Little urges Wairoa folk out of contact with family to let him know
The mayor of the flood ravaged, isolated Wairoa has issued a personal message to those desperate for news of trapped family as crucial supplies run low.
Craig Little yesterday said while they had experienced an “absolutely devastating” storm event, he believed everybody had been accounted for at that stage.
“People are suffering, their homes have been inundated with water and we just need to still get it sorted. So people are struggling but you can’t get hold of them because our communications are down, don’t stress that because you can’t get hold of them means there’s something wrong.”
Little said they had wonderful welfare support and an emergency operations centre set up and offered himself up as a conduit for those desperate for information.
“I’m on our communications, Facebook me, private message me, text me. I will get them, I may not come back to you straight away but if you need to absolutely urgently get a hold of a family member please do that.”
Little yesterday put out an urgent request for emergency assistance from “all agencies”.
He said they are desperately in need of assistance, with hundreds evacuated from properties, mainly surrounding the river catchment.
“We are geographically isolated with roads into the district closed and bridges washed away on state highways. We have received very little help because we are so cut off and everywhere around us is in emergency mode”.
Little said while they are managing their isolation, it meant they were severely challenged, particularly around food, water supply, fuel and communications.
“At this stage we have enough food, water and fuel for the next few days. Damage to the roading network, lack of phone and internet means there are many people who we have not been able to make contact with”.
He said it was being described as area’s “the most catastrophic” weather event in living memory.
“We are working to ensure people’s safety and provide the best services we can given our limitations … Evacuation sites have been set up.”
Community cut off, army to build bridge
Andrea Fox
The army will soon be coming to the rescue of Hawke’s Bay’s Rissington farming community, completely cut off by lethal cyclone floods which have destroyed hundreds of livelihoods and properties in the region.
Jeremy Absolom, whose family owns the leading livestock genetics cattle breeding operation Rissington Cattle Company, said the community, thought to comprise around 195 families, is cut off without access to power and unstable phone services.
But locals were rallying around to clear a way for the army to build a temporary bridge, through which residents could escape and equipment could be brought in.
“Water has come through at a height we’ve never seen. It’s devastating. Certainly, nothing in our family history since 1882 suggests we’ve ever had anything like this before.
“For low-lying houses in the Rissington valley, the water was at roof height.
“It’s significantly worse than Cyclone Bola (in 1988). Surrounding areas are in the same position.”
The community is cut off after Mangaone River flooding took out the 100-year-old Rissington Bridge on Puketitiri Road, recently restrengthened and heightened, Absolom said.
He is in Hastings and said his mother and two brothers were on the farm at Rissington, which straddles the road to Napier and is home to five families who work on the farm.
All Rissington farm residents and the livestock are fine, he said.
One house and the company’s office were destroyed as floodwaters from the Mangaone River swept through the property at chest height, but the farm’s other houses are on higher land and unscathed.
The staff member whose home was inundated has been evacuated and is now in Hastings.
The Mangaone River feeds the Tutaekuri River, which runs through Hawke’s Bay and is a major source of flooding in the region.
Water supply and power were the main issues, said Absolom, who – being outside Rissington – can work with the NZ Defence Force and district council to organise help for the community.
A neighbour’s brother was yesterday flying generators in from Taupo to power the station’s homes and pumps.
The Rissington business handles around 900 cattle and 2000 sheep.
Absolom thought the property was okay for livestock feed for now.
“Water is the main issue, and we’re working on a plan for that.”
The local community was working together in “an awesome way”, he said.
The community had diggers working and the district council was mobilising residents to clear a track to the bridge so the army could build a temporary replacement bridge.
“Simultaneously they’ll cut a track through, so we can get people from the community above water and (give) them a way out. They’ll dig a path and come out through paddocks, so at least it’ll be a mechanism for getting people and equipment in or out until the bridge is built.”
Photo caption – Rissington Bridge on Puketitiri Rd in Hawke’s Bay, which had only recently undergone strengthening, was this week completely destroyed in flooding from Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo/Hastings District Council
SPCA sends staff to help in Hawke’s Bay
Maddisyn Jeffares
SPCA state of emergency tips:
Check your pets for any injuries and seek veterinary care if necessary.
If you need to take your pets outside, make sure they are on a leash to prevent them from running away or getting lost.
If you evacuated and your animal is still left in your house, please contact MPI on 0800 00 83 33
If you have lost your pet – or found someone else’s – please post this to lostpet.co.nz
Be cautious of unfamiliar surroundings: The storm may have caused changes to the environment, so be cautious and make sure your pets are supervised at all times and do not let them run into flood waters.
As the daylight broke and the real damage of Cyclone Gabrielle started to become clear, the fear for missing and displaced pets, animals and livestock began to rise.
A great many animals have been swept up in the wild weather of Cyclone Gabrielle and are now stranded, missing or dead.
In the more severely hit areas of Hawke’s Bay, people are missing their animals and the equestrian community has been using Facebook pages like the NZ Equestrian Scene to help locate missing horses.
With people still trapped in their properties and unable to search for their own horses, the community has come together to help where they can.
Sadly the horse that many saw had found refuge on a shed roof was found dead after the roof collapsed, there have been other success stories of people reunited with their four hoofed friends.
Jenna Marsh, was finally reunited with Polly on Wednesday afternoon after 24 hours apart.
Marsh was in tears when she finally laid eyes on her horse. Polly has a few small cuts but appears to be in good health.
Marsh is still missing her chestnut horse named Dudley.
Many more are still missing their horses or are unable to get to them. The New Zealand Equestrian Scene has been trying to coordinate an equine base or depot.
Elizabeth Charleston from NZ Equestrian Scene said the group was told MPI is coordinating animal welfare response efforts in flood impacted areas in Hawke’s Bay.
MPI has been made aware of horses and other animals that are missing or needing assistance.
Please contact MPI’s on-call animal welfare emergency management team directly at [email protected] or 04 894 0132 for help with animal rescue or evacuation.
MPI has also received offers of temporary accommodation.
If you have a horse that has gone missing please post it on one of the equine Facebook pages.
The NZ Farming Facebook page has also been helping with missing horses and stranded livestock.
Hawke’s Bay farmers have been hit hard, however due to communication systems being down NZ farming has been unable to assess the full level of damage.
Although damage has not been fully assessed there is no doubt that it will be extensive.
NZ Farming spokesman Duncan Humm said, “we’ve received a steady stream of offers of help in response to the significant impacts of cyclone Gabrielle throughout numerous regions of the North Island.”
NZ Farming has begun compiling a database of offers to help with accommodation, stock feed and grazing and is working in coordination with the Hawke’s Bay Rural Support Trust.
Humm said NZ Farming believes 100 or more people are completely isolated after all of the bridges that connect Patoka, Rissington and Puketitiri collapsed.
While there is a strong worry for farm animals, in-town pets are also missing and unaccounted for.
SPCA CEO Gabby Clezy said, “SPCA teams are doing everything in their power to support animals affected by this devastating natural disaster, along with animals already in our care.”
As part of it’s response to the cyclone, the SPCA has dispatched staff to assess the impacted areas and has sent support from Wellington to Hawke’s Bay.
Photo caption – An urgent plea went out on social media to help the stricken animal. Photo/NZ Equestrian Scene
Cape coast inundated from land not sea
Hamish Bidwell
It wasn’t the sea that ended up causing flooding at the Clifton Beach free camping site.
Swells of up to seven metres were forecast to pummel the coastline, but it was water off the surrounding hillsides that caused the major damage instead.
The entrance to the Cape Kidnappers golf course remained a mess on Wednesday as a result of rain and river water washing down the valley. Campsite resident Doug Wardle had been expecting the greatest danger would come from the ocean, but woke to find it was roaring in from behind him.
“I was up till half past two in the morning to see if the sea would become too big, but that was all right,” Wardle said.
“I didn’t want to go to sleep but, of course, I lay down on the bed and woke up at 5am and I could see water just pouring through here and it was bloody dirty water.
“You could see it running through the paddocks.”
Wardle had a generator running on Wednesday, which he was moving through the camp to ensure fellow residents were able to keep perishable chilled or frozen.
Down the road at the Clifton Motor Camp it was largely business as normal. A spokesperson said the sea swells didn’t get much above three metres and barely breached the sea wall.
Power went out at 8am on Tuesday but the few people who’d remained in the camp had generators or solar power as alternative sources.
“It was noisy, but not as bad as we’d been told it would be,” the woman, who preferred not to be identified, said of the sea.
The Te Awanga lagoon did flood, causing some damage to residents’ property in Pipi St and Leyland Rd, but by Wednesday morning the clean up was mostly over.
Photo caption – Overflowing stormwater at Haumoana. Photo/Warren Buckland
14 www .hawkesbaytoday.co.nz News Friday, February 17, 2023
Cyclone Gabrielle For latest updates go to nzherald.co.nz
Support cheers CHB ex-councillor
Terry Kingston has seen big floods but this was ‘staggering’
Former Central Hawke’s Bay District councillor Terry Kingston wasn’t going to evacuate from his property in Bibby St, Waipawa.
“Emergency services told me to go and I said ‘don’t be stupid, it’s not going to get any worse …
“I did go though and I’m pleased I did because the speed the water came through our properties was just staggering.”
Kingston spoke from experience when he suggested it wouldn’t get any worse … he’d been in Waipawa in the 1940s when the Waipawa River came through the town.
“But there weren’t all these houses here now … nor was there a stopbank. It was that big flood in the 1940s or early 1950s that was the reason for the Tukituki Protection Scheme and the stopbanks.”
Back at his home on Thursday, with a yellow sticker on the door superseded by a ticked off electrical checklist meaning his house was now safe to occupy, the 81-year-old – who has been an active member of his community – was bemoaning the fact he couldn’t pitch in.
“It’s a weird feeling being helpless. All I could do was grab the cat and get out, but by the time I’d done that the traffic had gone from free flowing to gridlock, which is unprecedented in Waipawa.
“I have lost the contents of my fridge and freezer due to the power being off for 40 odd hours, but that’s all. Others have lost so much and there’s a huge amount of work to be done. I wish I could get out and help.”
Kingston has done his bit for the morale of Bibby St though … atop a flagpole in his front yard flies a flag featuring a bright yellow happy face. It’s flying upside down.
“It’s attracted a few comments,” he says.
More comments have been coming in from not only Waipawa but nationally and internationally via Facebook, and for that Kingston says he is grateful and overwhelmed.
“People care. They really do. The messages are uplifting and the visits and offers of help are reminding me of what makes Waipawa special.”
In Waipukurau, 101-year-old Walter Malcolm watched on Tuesday morning as floodwaters rose around his Belgrove Dr home, where he lives on his own – although with family next door.
Malcolm has seen more history than most in Central Hawke’s Bay and this is by far the worst flooding he’s encountered: “I was sitting inside watching, and it came within inches of disaster. By Joves, we were lucky the rain stopped when it did. I’m in a fairly modern subdivision and I would never have expected it to come up around the house.
“Then as soon as the rain stopped the water receded. I was lucky. So many people haven’t been lucky and it worries me that they just won’t be able to cope … It’s hard to fathom the scope of the disaster surrounding us.”
Photo captions –
Waipawa’s Terry Kingston with his “unhappy face” flag, which has attracted a few comments.
Terry Kingston spent many years as a councillor on the Central Hawke’s Bay District Council and counts himself among the lucky ones whose homes escaped any major damage.
Damage at the Waipawa Holiday Park where the Waipawa River breached the stopbank on Tuesday.
People, pets evacuated as floodwaters threaten
Police were clearing bystanders from the Waipawa River bridge on SH2 as floodwaters breached the town’s stopbanks and poured down Harker St on Tuesday afternoon, while the nearby BP petrol station faces queues of motorists getting fuel and emergency supplies – most of them evacuees from the riverside “lower Waipawa” streets, which were being inundated with floodwaters.
Civil Defence, CHB District Council and emergency services were going door to door and streams of traffic were leaving the low-lying areas.
Several people were on foot leading small ponies from lifestyle blocks along the river’s edge.
One woman leading a small wet pony tearfully said, “I had to leave my other pets – my rabbits, my chooks. My place was flooding and I wasn’t allowed to go back in for them.”
In Waipukurau, Lew Woods and Pauline Stephenson had just minutes to grab what they could and leave their home on Tuesday morning.
“I looked out at 5am and it was bone dry,” says Pauline, “so I went back to bed.”
An hour later she woke to a banging on the door. “It was a firefighter. He said ‘don’t open the door, open a window”.
“The water was bubbling up through the bathroom, we chucked what we could in bags – I couldn’t even tell you what I’ve packed. We took the dog and the cats, wee had to leave our car, it was under water.
“I don’t know what we’re going home to.”
Pauline and Lew were taken to the Waipukurau evacuation centre at the Centralines Stadium where ragdoll kittens Mollie and Coco sat cuddled on Lew’s lap, oblivious to the drama, and Benji the dog sat at his feet, wet from an early morning swim in nearly a metre of floodwater. Pauline said, “The firefighters were amazing. Honestly, they deserve a medal.”
Photo caption – Residents were evacuated from this home in Ruataniwha St, Waipawa, just before the river breached the stopbank.
Residents share resources as clean up threatened by thunderstorm watch
As evacuated Waipawa and Waipukurau residents were cautiously returning to their homes this morning to begin cleaning up what the floodwaters had left behind, a call went out to urgently evacuate residents from Drumpeel Rd in Ōtane.
The emergency clearly isn’t over for the traumatised district.
On Thursday afternoon, with a thunderstorm watch in place, Central Hawke’s Bay District Council was leading the creation of a temporary stopbank across Harker St, working with the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council to attempt to minimise any damage to properties in the event of rainfall over the coming days.
In the skies above Central Hawke’s Bay, under the auspices of Centralines and the council, a helicopter has flown out to assess damage, check on those isolated and to attempt to deliver some much needed supplies.
About 150 homes in the “lower Waipawa” region are being assessed by building inspectors and many now bear white stickers allowing full access or yellow stickers permitting limited access. On Bibby St the old dairy – closed not for about 30 years – won’t be operating ever again. It prominently displays a red sticker meaning no access.
Victoria and Bibby streets were lined with cars on Wednesday afternoon as residents started to clean up. There was no sense of rush … cars stopped side by side in the street as drivers leant out to check in with neighbours. The footpaths hosted small huddles of householders comparing their losses.
One Bibby St resident was about to venture into her home for the first time since she was evacuated.
The following days and weeks will be tough for us all, but we are in this together, supporting one another as we recover.
Alex Walker
“I’m not sure what to expect. I think it’s okay … our house is quite high. The garage was flooded though and we have plastic bins and all sorts that have floated in and we don’t know who they belong to.”
People were sharing out the contents of freezers that were no longer working due to water damage. Waste not, want not.
One resident surveyed a tangle of plastic chairs, buckets, bins and firewood enmeshed in her fence. “I don’t even know where all this has come from.”
The mud on the driveways will have to stay for now. Mains water is a precious commodity despite the Johnson St pumping station being repaired by early afternoon. Waipawa’s main pumping station on Tikokino Rd was still inaccessible on Wednesday and the damage was yet to be assessed.
Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor Alex Walker says, “The following days and weeks will be tough for us all, but we are in this together, supporting one another as we recover. Today is day three, let’s keep the morale up.”
Photo caption – Harker St, Waipawa – the clean up of tonnes of river shingle is underway.
PROTECTING YOUR HEALTH IN AN EMERGENCY’
HAWKE’S BAY DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD
We appreciate this is a very difficult time for many people.
This is very distressing and can be lonely and frightening for those who have been cut off.
Wherever you live, people should continue to call 111 in an emergency.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need to talk to someone any time of the day or night, you can call or text 1737 and there’ll be someone available at the end of the phone.
General health advice:
Avoid flood water where possible, and do not let children or pets play in it. It may be contaminated with sewage and other hazards and can make you unwell.
One of the main risks from flood water is gastroenteritis (tummy bug). Most people who develop gastroenteritis can manage their symptoms at home but it can be more serious for the very young, very old or those with underlying medical conditions. If you feel unwell after coming into contact with floodwater call your doctor or call Healthline for free on 0800 611 116.
Check your council or Civil Defence information about the safety and use of your water supply. General water safety advice is:
If you have no running water, you need to bring water to a rolling boil for one minute before drinking. Use another heat source such as a BBQ, if you have no power. (Note: keep the BBQ outside at all times. Do not bring it inside the house or garage because charcoal or gas BBQs produce large amounts of carbon monoxide which can be fatal).
If you cannot boil your drinking water, then add purifying tablets, or plain, unscented household bleach. Add half a teaspoon of bleach per 10 litres of water, mix and leave for at least 30 minutes or follow instructions on purifying tablets. Store treated water in a covered container.
If your property was flooded it’s important to drain, dry and clean it up as quickly as possible. This will protect you against tummy bugs, skin or eye infections, and stop mould developing.
Throw away contaminated food, disinfect flood contaminated items, take big stuff out to dry and throw away things which can’t be cleaned (e.g. mattresses).
Wash and dry your hands regularly while cleaning up, and before making or eating food. Wear gloves, masks and protective clothing.
These are difficult times for everyone, but there’s plenty of practical and emotional help available. If you need support reach out, and remember, it’s ok to feel stressed or anxious.
If you need health advice contact your doctor, or call Healthline for free on 0800 611 116.
Hospitals and urgent care clinics open:
Hawke’s Bay Hospital is operational. Please only come to the emergency department in an emergency. If it is not an emergency, please contact your GP or contact Healthline on 0800 611 116.
An urgent care centre has been stood up at Napier Health Centre (open 24 hours). Staff who are based in Napier and have the availability to assist are asked to phone the Centre on (06) 834 1815 or present to the Napier Health Centre at 76 Wellesley Street, to be added to a roster.
If you are at home without power or internet or phone, and in need of support for a medical condition, please go to your nearest evacuation centre and seek help there.
Civil Defence centres in Hawkes Bay:
Hastings
Hastings Sport Centre, 503 Railway Road, Hastings
Mitre 10 Sports Park, Hastings
Equippers Church, Hastings
St Andrews Hall, Hastings
Waipatu Marae, Hastings
Flaxmere
Flaxmere Community Centre, Flaxmere
Ascend Church Flaxmere
Malamalama Centre EFKS, Flaxmere
Cook Island Center, Flaxmere
Te Aranga Marae, Flaxmere
Napier
Tamatea College, 61 Freyberg Avenue, Tamatea
Centennial Hall, 127 Vigor Brown Street, Napier South
Central Hawke’s Bay
Centralines Stadium, Waipukurau
CHB Theatre, Waipawa
Wairoa
Wairoa College, Wairoa
Wall Memorial Hall, Wairoa
Presbyterian Hall, Wairoa
NEED TO TALK?
1737
free call or text any time
Protect your health in an emergency – look after yourself and others.
For more health information go to www.ourhealthhb.nz
HAWKE’S BAY
District Health Board
Whakawateatia
16 www .hawkesbaytoday.co.nz News Friday, February 17, 2023
Cyclone Gabrielle For latest updates to go nzherald.co.nz
Devastation photos
Hawke’s Bay Today photographers have been out capturing images from the devastation left behind in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.
A woman salvages a fuel container from flood waters at Waiohiki near Napier. Photo/Paul Taylor
Airforce choppers take off from Hawke’s Bay Airport. The Airforce has played a huge role in the rescue operation plucking people from roof tops and flood waters. Photo/Warren Buckland
Slash on the Tutaekuri River bridge on the Hawke’s Bay expressway. Photo/Paul Taylor
Residents in Bay View escaping flood water. Photo/Warren Buckland
Links Rd as waters subsides. Photo/Paul Taylor
LEFT: View from a New Zealand Defence Force NH90 en route to recover people from the rooftops of their homes in the Esk Valley near Napier on Wednesday. Photo/NZDF
RIGHT: This dog owner found the perfect vessel to get their dog out of the water as they evacuate from Venables Avenue in Maraenui on Wednesday. Photo/Paul Taylor
Water tanks jammed under the rail bridge in Harker St, Waipawa. Photo/Rachel Wise
Original digital file
HBT_2023-02-17_WipedOut.pdf
Non-commercial use
This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand (CC BY-NC 3.0 NZ).
Commercial Use
Copyright on this material is owned by Hawke's Bay Today and is not available for commercial use without their consent.Can you help?
The Hawke's Bay Knowledge Bank relies on donations to make this material available. Please consider making a donation towards preserving our local history.
Visit our donations page for more information.
Subjects
Tags
Format of the original
Newspaper wholeDate published
17 February 2023Publisher
Hawke's Bay TodayAcknowledgements
Published with permission of Hawke's Bay Today
People
- Jeremy Absolom
- John Bostock
- Diamond, Richelle and Shayne Daysh
- Danny Gough
- Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst
- Emma Horgan Heke
- Gary James
- Terry Kingston
- Richard Lay
- Benjamin Leota
- Connie and Gavin Lilley
- Mayor Craig Little
- Ian Macdonald
- Walter Malcolm
- Jenna Marsh
- Reverend Sunita Nua
- Hinewai and Kipa Ormsby
- Pauline Stephenson
- Dr Jeremy Tatere McLeod
- Andre Taylor
- Baillie, Kerry and Sally Tong
- Mayor Alex Walker
- Doug Wardle
- H Whiri
- Mayor Kirsten Wise
- Lew Woods
Accession number
581130Supporters and sponsors
We sincerely thank the following businesses and organisations for their support.
Do you know something about this record?
Please note we cannot verify the accuracy of any information posted by the community.