Emergency moves into recovery phase

A state of emergency remained in place in parts of flood-ravaged Bay of Plenty last night as residents began assessing the devastation.

Evacuations continued yesterday, with the Army moving Papamoa residents after the Wairakei Stream burst its banks.

More than 140 people in the Tauranga district were displaced by the event and some remained in evacuation centres last night.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council spokesman Peter Hennessey said yesterday the emergency was moving into recovery phase. Nine geo-technical engineers were inspecting houses, mostly in the Tauranga suburb of Otumoetai, and up to five would have to be demolished immediately. Engineers aimed to inspect about 100 houses and of these, 22 were evacuated and unlikely to be reinhabited for at least a day.

"There are reports that many more slips have occurred than was first indicated yesterday," he said.

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby said the rain was the heaviest he had seen in 40 years of living in the city.

Tauranga Hospital, which had its own flooding, established an incident control team while schools and kindergartens across Tauranga were shut, streets gridlocked and areas cordoned off.

In Matata, homes were damaged by slips and flooding and several vehicles ended up in a lagoon and the town closed to all but emergency services.

Mr McDavitt said another burst of heavy rain could hit the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and Gisborne on Sunday.

Civil Defence Minister George Hawkins today visited the area, describing the scene as "a sea of mud, rocks and trees". It was too early to discuss financial assistance for those who had lost their homes, he said.

"But obviously the Government helps in these situations and we have already got welfare set up."

Flood Helpline

0800 779 997