Wairoa's recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle has hit a setback with more heavy rain today, its deputy mayor says.
The northern Hawke's Bay town was one of the hardest hit areas during the cyclone with about 250 homes flooded, power and phone services were cut off for several days and damage to the roading network meant there was no way in or out.
Another downpour overnight and this morning resulted in two people being rescued, after emergency services evacuated them when a stop bank failed on a stream.
Around 100mm of rain had fallen by noon with 20mm of that falling between 5am and 6am.
MetService issued an orange severe weather warning for heavy rain around 7.30am and it expired at 1pm today.
One of the newly flooded properties in Wairoa. Photo: RNZ / Lauren Crimp
Wairoa's Deputy Mayor Denise Eaglesome-Karekare said there had been "a whole lot of rain" and it had flooded some of the town's south side which was not hit during Cyclone Gabrielle.
This morning she had inspected the streets that the cyclone did affect and found it was very wet. "Because the drains are still full of silt, the culverts are still full of silt ... so we are back to almost square one to be fair."
Another 50 properties, including businesses, had suffered fresh flooding since last night, she said.
There had not been much warning of the severity of the latest weather, Eaglesome-Karekare said.
"People have rung and said more rain fell last night than Cyclone Gabrielle."
People had started to clear away silt and pick up the rubbish and now their recovery has been set back several weeks.
"People who have been doing all that work in their homes - it's now mud again and it's probably a lot harder to shift because it's not solid, it's runny."
Torrential downpours flooded this property among others in Wairoa today. Photo: Supplied
She appealed for more support and resources so that displaced whānau could return to their homes.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is due to visit Wairoa tomorrow and he would be getting a clear message, she said.
The town needed its share of the government's $250 million recovery package and it was important residents decided how it should be spent so they could get back to normal as quickly as possible, Eaglesome-Karekare said.
"Let us do this, we know how to do this ourselves, we just need that financial support, we need the resources, we need whatever the government can throw at us."
An aerial view of Wairoa on 18 February. Photo: RNZ/ Kate Green
The re-routing of State Highway 2 should be a priority, she said. Residents needed to be able to travel to Napier and other parts of Hawke's Bay, in part so they could access health services.
Otherwise, Wairoa residents would be putting extra pressure on Gisborne although she pointed out the town was completely cut off from both cities at present.
Roads suffer more damage
Waka Kotahi's national emergency response spokesperson Mark Owen said Wairoa remained cut off today because of problems in the Nūhaka area. In Tokomaru Bay the road was closed between Ruatoria and Tolaga Bay, however, the road between Tikitiki and Ruatoria has reopened.
Work on fixing SH35 on the East Coast was challenging, he said, especially between Te Puia Springs and Tokemaru Bay and it would take some time to repair.
A Bailey bridge was being organised for installation on the stretch of road between Tokomaru Bay and Tolaga Bay where the permanent bridge was damaged.
Once the water receded it was hoped SH2 between Gisborne and Wairoa would be reinstated.
The challenge was the stretch of road south between Wairoa and Napier, especially around Devil's Elbow.
There has also been a significant slip on SH5 between Napier and Taupō and hopes of getting some freight convoys through have suffered a setback, Owen said.
New damage is evident to SH5. Photo: Supplied / Waka Kotahi
Once roads re-opened it was often down to one lane and there was a lot of silt and debris so motorists needed to remain cautious.
"It's ever changing as the weather continues to impact."
HAWKE'S BAY/GISBORNE - STATE HIGHWAY STATUS
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Central North Island (@WakaKotahiCNI) February 27, 2023
The following roads remain CLOSED following Cyclone Gabrielle:
• SH2 Wairoa to Whakaki
• SH2 Whakaki to Nūhaka
• SH2 Napier to Wairoa
• SH5 Eskdale to Taupō
• SH35 Tolaga Bay to Ruatoria
• SH38 Wairoa to Lake Waikaremoana pic.twitter.com/RKicBVn9JH
There were enough crews available to do the work and although they were tired they were committed to restoring the roads as quickly as possible, Owen said.
He also reminded people that traffic management remained a challenge at sites and those workers were in place to help maintain everyone's safety.
