The Government has asked former police commissioner Mike Bush to review why the entrance to the Wairoa River wasn’t cleared before the June 26 flood which damaged more than 400 homes in the northern Hawke’s Bay town.
The announcement by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during a flying visit to the town on Saturday came after the Government asked councils to pay for the clean up by redirecting $3 million of the $10 million in May’s Budget earmarked for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery.
He says the extent of the damage presents major challenges.
“We noticed as we were moving around there was still a lot of home debris and property that was ripped out of houses so it could dry out. Obviously there is still some challenges with debris and sediment,” Mr Luxon says.
He says Mike Bush is well respected in the region because of his earlier work on its civil defence capabilities in the wake of last year’s Cyclone Gabrielle.
