Civil Defence in touch with cut off rural homes

Civil Defence in Whanganui says it is in touch with every rural home cut off by last weekend's devastating floods.

Emergency services personnel at their base on Anzac Parade

Red Cross volunteer Cathy Reed

Pumping floodwater out of properties on Anzac Parade

A local coffee vendor makes free drinks for workers and residents on Anzac Parade

Volunteers muck out the the Waimarie River Steamer Museum on Taupo Quay

Moonscape of muddy footprints on the Taupo Quay boardwalk

Linesman Andrew Henare says very few of the homes on Anzac Parade are safe to return to.

Mike O'Sullivan scrapes muddy silt away from the driveway of his Anzac Parade home.

Mike O'Sullivan and his son work on ridding their driveway from silt.

Mike O'Sullivan (right) and partner Kath take a break from the clean-up to pose for a photo.

A club member attempts to open the door of a multisports and triathalon club in Whanganui

A kayak beached outside the club

Members of the Air Force chipped in to hose down driveways on Anzac Parade.

Amanda had only bought her now-flooded house three months ago - but was determined to remain positive.

The outside of Amanda's house in Whanganui.

Inside-outside mud at Amanda's house.

Flooded boots stuck in mud on Anzac Parade

Willy McGregor manages three flood-damaged homes on Anzac Parade. The water in his back garden was about three metres deep at its height and is now about a metre and a half.

Water had entered the hallway of Amanda's house.

Contractors free council plants from silt

Clean-up on Anzac Parade

Skate park on Anzac Parade

A bumper boat and go-kart business on Anzac Parade

The Riverland Family Park's bumper boats will be out of action for months.

The Riverland Family Park in Whanganui - expected to be shut for months

Mud-caked trees on the Anzac Parade riverfront.

The city has extended a local state of emergency for a second week as the clean-up continues.

Acting Civil Defence controller Rowan McGregor said they were still pumping water from people's homes along Anzac Parade in the city, and were bringing in a rubbish truck to take away rotting food.

He said they were also in close contact with rural homes that had been cut off by the floods.

"We know who they are, where they are, what assistance they do need. Everyone in the rural area has been given any forms to full out for different types of assistance - we have the rural support trust available for them."

Mr McGregor said more rain expected later this week could worsen the state of some rural roads.

"Rain is predicted for Thursday and Friday which could be quite heavy, so we have very fragile infrastructure, particularly in the rural areas where the drains are still all blocked and the culverts are blocked, the roads will struggle if we get heavy rain."

Meanwhile, the MP for Whanganui Chester Borrows said a week on from the region's worst flooding, only a small part of the city remained affected.

Civil Defence said most of the 120 houses on the worst-hit street were still unsanitary and unsafe.

Mr Borrows said while the volume of water was not as great as in previous floods it was very fast-moving, scouring out large parts of the riverbank.

He said many things are likely to be considered as options for mitigating future flooding.

"You could build higher stopbanks, change some water courses continuing to do more around getting rid of loads out of rivers, trying to re-route some roads. But all of that is incredibly expensive."

Whanganui Mayor Annette Main extended the local state of emergency until Saturday 4 July.

The seven-day extension would give Whanganui Civil Defence and Emergency Management continued powers under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002 to enter premises, close roads and carry out inspections.

It would also give Civil Defence legal powers required to safely manage the emergency.

However the the extended state of emergency will be reviewed daily and possibly lifted early next week.