Surrounded by floodwaters. Photo / Tararua District Council
“Absolute devastation,” is how Tararua District councillor Sharon Wards described the scene that awaited her in Akitio.
The Dannevirke farmer went out with a convoy on Thursday to see what support those in the beach community needed and spoke on a video posted on social media.
She talked of what she witnessed on the trip out to the beach community, which remains essentially cut off due to road damage.
“I’ve never seen the devastation of land that I did today,” she said on Thursday.
Those living out at Akitio were “holding up pretty well” but Wards said they needed every bit of support people could give them.
“They just wanted to know that someone cared.”
About 16 people in the beach community and others who lived on farming properties in the area were impacted by the storm.
At least one property has been red-stickered and in Herbertville, roughly 50km away, there were some with red stickers and some with yellow.
Wards said there would need to be long-term planning to repair the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Roads were still badly damaged enough to be inaccessible and the council was continuing to warn people not to “go sightseeing”.
Deputy mayor Erana Peeti-Webber went out with another convoy to Herbertville and said people in that community appeared to be in good spirits.
She said a meeting was held in the town hall and the community was getting organised for supplies and finding out who had equipment that could help clear some of the debris.
In the last two days cellphone coverage and internet had been restored to Webber and teams were working on getting power and communications back on for other communities.
Mayor Tracey Collis said she had seen some of the damage from the air, while she’d also had reports from other elected members on the council about what they’d seen.
“It’s just horrific.”
Councillors, local iwi and representatives from other organisations have gone out to the affected communities and there are plans for more outreach missions in the coming days.
The district would remain under the National State of Emergency until early next week and the council’s emergency operation centre would still be working to co-ordinate the response to the impacts across the community.
Some roads were still closed and teams were focusing on getting those of the highest priority open.
A council spokesman also warned that members of the public were not to drive along the roads as they were not safe to use.
“It also makes it difficult for our roading teams to do their vital work of assessing damage and planning the huge job of repairs.”
Akitio had been on a precautionary boil water notice until power was restored, and it was hoped the power would be back up tomorrow.
Dannevirke residents were asked to conserve water as the town was using the impounded supply while water from the Tamaki River remained turbid.
Tests were being carried out to determine when water could be drawn from the river.
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