Esk Valley on 20 February following Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: RNZ/ Nick Monro
The buyout of nearly 300 cyclone-wrecked Hawke's Bay homes that are too unsafe to live in will kick off by the end of this month.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council has moved 287 properties across Hastings and Napier from their 'provisional' Category 3 status to 'final' - meaning the buyout process can begin.
Chairperson Hinewai Ormsby said bringing the land categorisation process to a close for those homeowners was a big step forward in the recovery journey.
"There is no doubt the past several months have been extremely challenging for our flood affected communities," she said.
"I am pleased that we are now able to provide certainty for the owners of a large number of properties so they can look to the future and make informed decisions about what to do with their properties."
The regional council was now passing the baton to the Hastings District and Napier City Councils to carry out the buyouts.
Their recently adopted voluntary buyout policies involved establishing an office to support property owners who were considering a voluntary buyout offer.
That should be in place by 24 October.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the buyouts would help people move on with their lives.
"Not only does the voluntary buyout process enable our most severely impacted people to make fully informed decisions, it also provides them greater certainty about their future and a way to move on with their lives following the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle."
However, some homeowners in the region were still in limbo.
Regional council chief executive Nic Peet acknowledged the future was uncertain for those in provisional Category 2 areas.
"I can assure those people we are working as quickly as we can to progress the work in this space," he said.
"Our technical experts continue to work closely with external consultants to investigate and analyse potential flood mitigation solutions, and we plan to engage directly with each provisionally categorised 2A, 2P and 2C community to seek feedback on these solutions as soon as possible."
The updated number of properties categorised as provisional Category 2P, 2C, 2C*, 2A or confirmed Category 3 across the Hawke’s Bay region, as at Tuesday, 3 October. Photo: Supplied
Categories
- Category 2P: changes to individual properties, like raising them or improving drainage, are needed for the property to be safe to live in.
- Category 2C: community level flood protection measures, like stop banks, are needed for the property to be safe to live in.
- Category 2A: could fall into another category, but "significant further assessment" is needed.
- Category 3: the risk to life in future severe weather is too great, so the property is not safe to live in.
