Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst talks about Cyclone recovery and Anzac Day

Hastings Mayor, Sandra Hazlehurst. Photo / Supplied

Just over two months after the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle, we remain grateful to our communities who continue to provide safe spaces, share resources and expertise and provide events to uplift spirits for our communities.

I have loved being out there seeing people giving free haircuts at Puketapu, the community barbecues, sharing information and the Lions Club giving out supplies and books. It’s amazing to see everyone working together.

We cannot thank those behind this mahi enough. Reaching those in badly impacted areas remains a challenge – we encourage those wanting information to sign up for our database or reach out to our customer service team.

The highlight over the past few weeks for me has been the opening of two temporary bridges (Dartmoor and Rissington) and the low-level crossing at Ellis-Wallace Rd, where the design and construction of a Bailey Bridge is under way, expected to be completed at the end of May.

Our silt task force has made huge progress, with hardworking contractors having collected about 145,000 cubic metres of silt to date, averaging around 850 truck movements a day. They are also collecting flood-damaged goods as they go.

The health and well-being of our people who have been impacted by the cyclone remains at the forefront of our actions, as our teams contact residents with stickered properties to check in, see how they are and make sure they have the support they need.

With winter on the horizon, we are encouraging rural communities to start looking at what challenges they’ll be facing and review their winter resilience plans.

There are still a lot of unknowns, but we are pleased to hear in the latest update from the Cyclone Recovery Unit that no decisions on properties or communities will be made without comprehensive consultation.

Our teams are continually reviewing the best ways to collect feedback from the community and want to emphasise that each and every resident’s thoughts and ideas are important.

People can sign up and get regular cyclone recovery updates at www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/cyclone-gabrielle/community-hubs#updates

On another note, yesterday we celebrated Anzac Day. I attended the dawn service at Hastings Civic Square and as always it was a very special occasion and wonderful to see our community gathering together to remember and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by those who served our district and our country.