Media release #23 Wanganui District weather event - 12.30pm 26 June 2015

Published on 26 June 2015

A state of emergency is still in place in the Wanganui District, which is in recovery mode after experiencing the largest-ever flood recorded in the district.

Weather warning

Wet weather is forecast for this weekend which could overload already fragile systems. Although the MetService is not predicting significant rainfall for our district, we urge residents to be prepared for power outages and make sure they have stocks of water and general supplies. Rain will cause further slips and debris on roads so road users are urged to take extreme caution.

Cordons closing public access

Anzac Parade

The cordon around a section of roadway on Anzac Parade from Jones Street to Eastown Road was lifted at 12noon today. Residents were allowed into their homes from 9am to 12noon today to assess damage and remove belongings. The cordon remains in place between Jones Street and Mt View Road and a decision on lifting this cordon will be made later today.

Taupo Quay cordon area

The Taupo Quay cordon has been lifted.

If your house or business is in a cordoned off area and the cordon has not yet been lifted, you may not enter regardless of whether there is a red, white or yellow notice on the building. Cordons take priority over notices. The cordons are in place to protect public safety.

Road closures will continue to be shown on the media releases from Wanganui District Council (www.wanganui.govt.nz).

State Highway 4 (Parapara Road) will remain closed to the public for 2-3 weeks from Kaimatira Road to Raetihi, although emergency vehicles will have single-lane access.
Whanganui River Road and Kauarapaoa Road have multiple slips and dropouts that will take some time to clear.
Around 75 percent of rural roads are now open – out of a total of 617 kilometres of rural roads only 129 km were open on Sunday, and today 434 km are now open.

A complete list of the roads that are still closed is at the back of this release.

A big thank you the team ‘on the ground’ who have been working tirelessly to clear roads and support communities – great progress is being made. Thank you also to our community and the many volunteers who are willing to give their time to help others.

Bridges

All bridges are now open.

Walkways closed

Anzac Parade - City Bridge to Georgetti Road

St John’s Hill cycleway SH4/Victoria Avenue

Taylor Street walkway

Durie Hill steps

Building inspections

Some 244 buildings have been visited by the Council’s building inspectors to establish status of liveability. Some properties are being revisited for further checking.

The team is categorising buildings using coloured notices:

Red: Entry prohibited (building is at risk from external hazard or has been seriously damaged)
Yellow: Restricted access (need to check with power, gas and insurance provider before occupying)
White: No restrictions.

For security reasons, the areas that have been inspected will not be made public.

Water

Water supply has been restored to all houses in residential areas. All Wanganui District tap water is safe to drink.

Gas

If you have self-evacuated from your residence please ensure you contact your gas supplier. Gasnet staff are on standby and a call centre is open – 0800 3492050.

Silt build up

Disposal of silt from private property is the owner’s responsibility. We urge residents not to put silt on the grass verge or road as this is likely to block the stormwater drainage system that drains the roads and surrounding properties.

Bullocks Yard in Taupo Quay is open to assist residents wishing to dispose of silt. Where possible, silt should be taken to this location. This service is for residents only.

To be safe, treat all silt as potentially contaminated and wear rubber gloves and protective clothing.

Contractors who need to dispose of large quantities of silt should contact the Emergency Operations Centre, phone 349 0001. Contractors cannot use the Bullocks disposal facility.

Disposal of damaged goods from residences and businesses

Disposal of goods and furniture is the owner’s responsibility.

Minor flooding of properties

Residential sections that have been subject to flood water and silt can be treated by spreading hydrated lime to remove odour and some contaminates. Contact the Council if you have any concerns about your property.

Power supply

We urge residents to contact Powerco website for updates: www.powerco.co.nz/Outages-and-Faults/

Insurance claims

For those who have insurance, it is advised to contact your insurance provider as soon as possible and make a claim.

For those who do not have insurance, it is advised that you contact Work and Income New Zealand, who are available to assess anyone in difficulty and offer advice.

If any community organisations would like printed copies of this information couriered to them, please call 0800 888 202 or email info@iombudsman.org.nz and these will be sent out to you.

If residents return home and find water has gone through the inside of their property (and there is no notice to this effect) please contact the Council’s Building Control team immediately, phone 349 0001.

Welfare

One Civil Defence Centre at the Wanganui Girls College is still open, and Red Cross psychological first aid assistance is ready to assist residents. The centre will be open over the weekend.

For older people needing assistance or support, please contact Age Concern, phone 345 1799.

The welfare centre at Wanganui Girls’ College will continue to operate and will be open for the rest of this week and over the weekend. At this stage, it will be open 8.00am to 7.00pm every day.

GPs

All GPs and pharmacies in the district are open. Please see your usual GP and pharmacy.

Important notice regarding dust

Patrick O’Connor, Medical Officer of Health, Public Health:

As silt dries, dust is becoming a notable feature of the clean-up.

Evidence, based on studies of liquefaction exposed to sewage in Christchurch, indicates a low risk of bacterial and viral infection to public.

There may be irritant effects, especially to eyes, nose, and throat. Some individuals are more susceptible than others. Goggles and masks may be needed in some circumstances. Wet wiping of surfaces minimises dust exposure. Careful hand-washing is recommended after direct contact with the dust.

Temporary accommodation

Any evacuated residents needing long-term temporary accommodation can talk to Housing New Zealand at the Work and Income offices, Level 1, 133 Wicksteed Street. This service will be available from midday on Thursday and then 9.00am-4.00pm.

Evacuated residents in temporary accommodation will be contacted today to discuss long-term options.

Animal welfare

If you have a dwelling in a cordoned area, and you are concerned about your pets, please contact the Wanganui District Council on (06) 349 0001.

Volunteer assistance

All volunteers are being coordinated through the Emergency Recovery Office.
If you are able to volunteer, please call the Volunteer Coordinator (06) 349 3055

Rural assistance

All residences on the Western side of the Whanganui River have been visited, medical assistance has been supplied where needed, and food and household supplies have been delivered.
Two helicopters are assisting with the rural community today. Over the weekend support will be reduced to one helicopter for emergencies and medical supplies only.

Volunteer assistance criteria

Volunteers may be allocated to assist private property owners under the following understanding:

Information to property owners

Volunteers working on private property are the responsibility of the property owner.
Owners are advised that there is no have knowledge of the background of the volunteers.
The owner is responsible for health and safety of persons working on their property i.e. don’t ask them to do anything that could result in injury.

Information to volunteers

Volunteers shouldn’t have to do any work for the owner that they consider dangerous or risky.
It is possible volunteers will be asked when on site to carry out tasks that are not related to the flooding and it is up to the discretion of the volunteer whether they agree to do the work. They are encouraged to limit their assistance to damage and cleaning up that is related to the flooding event.
On completion of the task please report to the Supervisor that the work has been completed.

Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management spokesperson Ian Wilson today praised the Wanganui Emergency Response Centre, saying the response had gone well, welfare and iwi assistance had been excellent. He said it was now time to look to the future, and predicted the clean up would take between six to 12 months.

Road closures

Rural

SH4 Kaimatira Road to Raetihi

No 3 Line, from the urban boundary to Kaimatira Road

Whanganui River Road, SH4 to Pipiriki and to Raetihi

Ahu Ahu Valley Road

Watershed Road

Rangitatau West Road (open to quarry)

Kai Iwi Valley Road

Handley Road, from Kai Iwi Valley Road to Ototoka Beach Road

Mangawhero Road

Creek Road (half open)

Polson Road

Bruce Road (half open)

Ototoka Beach Road

Urban

Anzac Parade from Georgetti Road to Jones Road

Ikitara Road (at Willis Street)

Mt View Road (except to residents)

Spark offer to residents

Spark is offering free calls from its 26 public payphones in Wanganui and a range of other free services to help people suffering hardship after extensive flooding in the region and surrounding areas.

Local, national, 018 and mobile calls from the 26 payphones will be free between Wednesday, June 24, and Wednesday, July 1. Customers in the Whanganui region and surrounding areas who have been forced to evacuate their homes will also be able to take advantage of the following services from Spark within the next 6 months:

CustomerLink free for 6 months – with this service customers can choose to divert their current landline calls to another nominated landline or mobile number. Alternatively they can get all calls diverted to a Call Minder service which will take messages for the customer
Reconnection fee waived for customers needing to reconnect their landline to another premise

Spark asks affected residential customers in the district to call Spark on 123 to speak with a representative about the various options and services available to them.

Spark’s offers extend to customers displaced from their homes in the area covering Brunswick, Fordell, Gonville, Kakatahi, Kai Iwi, Mangamahu, Makirikiri, Maxwell, Okoia, Whanganui town and surrounding area, Whangaehu and Waverley.

To see where the 26 Spark payphones are located go to www.spark.co.nz/storefinder.

Contact Information

Key agencies involved in the response are working to keep their online resources, such as websites and Facebook pages, as current as possible. We encourage people to ‘bookmark’ these sites for information on this and future events.

Wanganui District Council

www.wanganui.govt.nz

www.facebook.com/wanganuidistrictcouncil

www.facebook.com/yourmayorannettemain

Civil Defence Emergency Management Facebook Pages

www.facebook.com/civildefencemanawatuwanganui

www.facebook.com/nzgetthru

NZTA – Highway Information

www.nzta.govt.nz or 0800 HIGHWAYS

Roading authorities are urging road users to take extra care when driving through the Manawatu Wanganui region. Users are reminded that road conditions in an emergency are inconsistent and to check on-line resources for highway or roadway information before travelling.

Horizons Regional Council – River Levels