By Krystal Gibbens for RNZ
A decision not to hold mass evacuations in the Esk Valley is being defended by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.
Floodwaters ripped through the area early on Tuesday morning last week, destroying property and taking the life of a two-year-old girl.
Council interim chief executive Pieri Munro said based on their forecasting on Monday, February 13, they gave a notification to those in the low-lying areas — who self-evacuated.
“There was nothing in the information that we were receiving that indicated that there should have been a mass evacuation or formal evacuation.”
He said the change in water levels was swift and was double what they had forecast.
Eskdale resident Billy MacDonald witnessed the flooding first hand. He described people calling for help from their rooftops, surrounded by fast-moving floodwaters.
By the time an alert came through, the valley was already flooded, he said.
Eskdale-based Doggy Farmstay kennel owner Maureen Dorr said they managed to keep several dogs alive by holding some to the ceiling and putting others above the floodwaters until they could escape.
She said they spent 12 hours like that, because going outside was even worse.
Elsewhere in the valley, a two-year-old girl drowned in what her family described as an “unavoidable accident” when floodwaters rose to the ceiling of their house.
Seven of the 10 sites monitoring river flows and rainfall in the Esk Valley went offline about 1am on Tuesday morning.
“Once the power and everything went out, we were flying blind because we didn’t have any telemetry nor cell network to tell us what was happening,” Munro said.
He said once Cyclone Gabrielle set upon the Hawke’s Bay there was no opportunity for them to get any further information out.
Munro acknowledged questions would need to be asked and reviews of the week done. But he said right now the council was focused on responding to the crisis.
Is this the role that every other NZ town and city should consider?