Far North District Council says its response to last week’s damaging storm will continue over the Easter holiday weekend with operations focusing more and more on recovery.
This week, Rapid Response Teams concentrated their efforts on gaining a full picture of the damage caused by the storm and have visited hard-hit communities in the west of the district, from south Hokianga and north to Kaitāia.
Over the past six days they have assessed 377 homes. Of those, 185 were in Kaitāia, 65 in Whirinaki and 40 in Wekaweka. Food and water packs have been distributed, and clothing and bedding have gone to 13 families or individuals, with five families were placed in emergency accommodation.
Two Incident Management Teams were stood up within the hardest-hit communities of Kaitāia and Whirinaki to support the Emergency Operations Centre based at Kaikohe.
“In Whirinaki, 161 people were directly affected when the Whirinaki River burst its banks. Sixty-five homes have been impacted, five of which are currently uninhabitable. Forty-five food parcels have been delivered. Three families were hosted at Whakarongotai Marae, which has continued to provide hot meals for those working on the recovery,” Council said in a statement.
“While most homes within impacted communities have now been visited, Civil Defence teams are still hearing about individuals or whanau who have not been assessed in the Whirinaki and Ōmāpere areas. If you have been impacted by the storm and are still waiting to be contacted, or if you know of someone yet to be assessed, please call the council on 0800 920 029 or make contact with a Rapid Response Team member. They will be driving clearly identifiable Civil Defence vehicles.”
The State of Emergency declared for the Far North District on 26 March, is due to be reviewed tomorrow (2 April).
