Hutt feels left out of storm recovery plans

One in four households affected by flooding in the Hutt Valley has no insurance, and the local council is appealing for Government help to deal with a multimillion-dollar clean-up.

Hutt City Mayor John Terris has accused the Government of overlooking weather damage in his area, which faces bills of $25 million to $30 million after the storms.

Apart from $20,000 for Hutt City's mayoral relief fund, the council had received little direct Government input, Mr Terris said.

Hundreds of people in the central North Island are still homeless and many are without power and phones more than a week after heavy rain and gales devastated that region and the top of the South Island.

Otago was battered in the past two days by gales that fanned a fire near Dunedin, brought down power poles and unleashed boats from their moorings.

- NZPA