Clean-up in Rangitīkei District ‘reasonably under control’ after weekend storm, says mayor

Clean-up in the Rangitīkei District has been progressing well after last weekend's storms. Photo / Te Kakenga Kawiti-Bishara

Clean-up in the Rangitīkei District has been progressing well after the wild weather of last weekend caused rivers to rise at an alarming rate and roads across the region were closed.

Rangitīkei Mayor Andy Watson said most of the roads in the district’s towns had been cleaned up and re-opened.

“We are still working through trying to look at some of our rural roads that have had slipping, but we are reasonably under control,” he said.

Due to the flooding caused by rainfall, the council evacuated some people in Bulls and Marton on Saturday.

Almost all of these people were now back in their homes, according to Watson.

Now the water levels had subsided in Marton’s Tūtaenui Stream, council staff were examining the pattern of water inundation.

“In some cases, it seems to be a little bit different to what has happened previously with this stream, so we need to do some checks,” Watson said.

It would be very difficult to prevent a similar event from happening again, but there had been a lot of work done by Horizons Regional Council to hold water back in the stream with infrastructure such as retention dams.

When new housing developments are planned near water, the council looks at stormwater flows and often requires developers to install retention dams to hold water flows at bay.

The council were conducting checks on properties that may have been damaged by the conditions.

Watson said he knew the weather had caused damage to some rural properties and farms which were now in the stages of cleaning up.

“I’ve had people in my office [on Tuesday] morning talking about damage to their individual properties.

“My heart goes out to those affected.”

Some farmers had been harvesting maize immediately before the weather hit the region, so he hoped those people had dodged a bullet in not having their crops damaged by the rush of water.

The council said if a homeowner had water come inside their house or go over any power points during the flood, they needed to have their property checked by their building team, who will make sure the building is safe and help with any insurance claims.

If a home had wet carpets or flooring, homeowners would need to get in touch with their insurance companies.

However, if a septic system was affected during the flood, the council needed to be notified as the tank will need to be serviced by a registered service provider and re-checked by the council.

If people had questions specific to their property, they should call 0800 422 522.

Rangitīkei District Council continually monitor river levels in the region, and Watson said they would continue to do so and watch the forecast for any more potential rain.