February 10, 2022
Parihaka prepares for weather bomb
Parihaka residents are waterproofing their papakainga as the threat of more heavy rain looms.
Downpours over Waitangi weekend caused flooding around Taranaki, collapsing river banks, making bridges unusable and undermining the foundation of a whare in the settlement.
Kaikōrero Ruakere Hond says with another weather bomb forecast for tomorrow, crews have laid sandbags and two diggers are cutting channels to direct floodwater away from the village.
“Taranaki Iwi, Te Ātiawa and Ngāruahine have all spent crews through. We had about 50 workers here, clearing the debris away, doing inspections of areas where there is most risk and we’ve got engineers coming through from South Taranaki District Council and Regional Council to inspect the footbridge that was almost washed away,” he says.