Six Tauranga properties have been deemed “dangerous” or “insanitary” following Sunday’s tornado, and one homeowner says it will be months before she knows whether her home is repairable.
Hotu Frew’s Maungatapu home joins five Welcome Bay properties in being issued with the notices, which mean they are considered too “dangerous or insanitary” to occupy.
One or more tornadoes struck Tauranga about 1.30am on April 19 and damage was reported across Ōtūmoetai, Maungatapu, Welcome Bay and the Tauranga CBD.
Four families were displaced on Sunday night, including Frew and her two children.
Frew said the storm shattered windows and part of their roof was peeled back.
Rain poured inside through electrical fittings and broken windows, soaking carpets throughout the home.
Frew said she received the dangerous building notice on Wednesday night and was still trying to process what had happened.
Some of the tornado debris had been cleaned up, including “heaps” of broken glass, and the property was fully fenced and locked up.
Her insurance company has completed a “quick assessment” of the damage and she was told it would be a minimum of two months before she would know the outcome of a full assessment.
Until that happened, Frew would not know whether the 1970s-built home she and her children moved into in November was even repairable.
“It’s hard, as this process could take six months or up to 12 months, but I’m hoping now that the council has issued the dangerous building notice, it will speed up the process.”
Frew said she was staying with friends and her children were staying with their father in Maungatapu.
“My employer has been amazing, as I’m on special leave from work for a week to sort some things out. I’ve told the insurance assessor I need to have a plan for moving forward by the end of the week.”
She said they needed to find a place to rent.
“I’m the sort of person who believes there is always a silver lining in every cloud. It’s odd, I don’t think I’ve processed properly what has happened, but we’re just trying to get through this as best we can.”
Tauranga City Council regulatory and community services general manager Sarah Omundsen said the council understood this was a difficult time for Frew.
“We will continue to support the property owner with clear guidance and advice.
“The occupants have self-evacuated and will not be able to occupy the dangerous or insanitary portion of the house until repairs have been completed and the area is confirmed as safe.”
Omundsen said 16 properties were assessed on Sunday. Eight of them were revisited, and two did not require notices.
Five Welcome Bay property owners would receive dangerous or insanitary building notices in the next few days.
“We will be communicating directly with all homeowners affected.”
Decisions were based on “site-specific assessment” under the Building Act, taking into account the extent and location of damage and any risk posed to occupants or the public.
“Depending on the level of damage, home owners may require further assessment by suitably qualified professionals before repair work can begin,” Omundsen said.
“This could include structural engineers, designers or builders.”
Maungatapu Marae also sustained damage, including roofs lifted from the ablution block, windows smashed and several trees uprooted.
Omundsen said Maungatapu Marae was assessed on the day, and no formal notices or restrictions were required.
She said there was minor damage to two Devonport Rd commercial buildings caused by a fallen tree.
The council’s contact centre received 71 tornado-related calls on Sunday and five on Monday.
Two Welcome Bay Rd home owners told the Bay of Plenty Times their homes were among those classed as unsafe to occupy.
This included the three-bedroom home owned by Jo Logan and her wife, Mellanee Kendrick.
Logan said the council told them the house was “unsafe and uninhabitable” on Monday. Their insurance company had deemed the building “structurally compromised”.
Kendrick’s eldest daughter, Georgia McOnie, started a Givealittle page to help her mothers pay for immediate costs such as temporary accommodation, replacing lost food and clothing, added petrol costs, and lost income from taking unpaid leave.
Another Welcome Bay Rd resident, who asked not to be named, said the small cottage he was living in, owned by his nephew, lost its roof during the storm and had been assessed as unsafe to live in.
“There was also damage to my sister’s house – she lost power too – and the top part of my nephew’s home was twisted,” he said.
The man said he was anxious about how long repairs might take and concerned he would need to move if the cottage remained uninhabitable for an extended period.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 25 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.