November 14, 2022
Tairāwhiti takes another soaking
Another major clean up for Ngāti Porou after the fifth major storm in 18 months hit the East Coast at the weekend.
Gisborne District Council civil defence manager Ben Green says state highway 35 between Tolaga Bay and Te Puia Springs has reopened.
But residents in Mangatuna still can’t return home, after being evacuated on Friday as heavy rain lashed the area.
He says there are still people who haven’t been able to return home after earlier floods, and the latest downpour could have compromised the prospects for other communities.
“As we head further up in the areas that tend to be quite remote, we’re not talking large numbers in many cases but very tenuous with their ability to support, we don’t normally get the ability to provide that welfare support until we have clear weather and the ability to get in and support them,” Mr Green says.
He expects continuing extreme weather events because of climate change, and says the region needs to look at what can be done to mitigate its effects, particularly in areas with erosion-prone hillsides.