Cyclone Gabrielle: Havelock North’s Joll Rd residents seeking answers as cleanup continues

Services are gradually being restored to residents of Joll Road. Photo / Warren Buckland

The portaloo on the pavement provides a stark reminder that life’s not back to normal in Joll Rd.

The residential street was, arguably, the worst hit in Havelock North during the height of Cyclone Gabrielle.

An estimated 267mm of rain fell in the hills above Joll Rd, filling the Mangarau Dam, which sits in a gully off nearby Toop St.

Water from the dam fed down the Mangarau Stream, which runs behind properties in Joll Rd. This volume of water, combined with a “storm-related windfall of tree branches”, is believed to have caused the flooding, a Hastings District Council spokesperson said.

“While we know these are factors, we don’t have enough information yet [about] how they interacted to cause such volumes of water in the area and what can be done to prevent this in the future. This will be one of our focus areas as we move into the recovery phase,’’ said the district council spokesperson.

It’s fair to say that phase is progressing slowly. For residents in Joll Rd, who asked not to be named for this story, removing silt from sections and gutting the inside of yellow-stickered homes remain the priority.

A temporary sewerage pipe has spared some — but not all residents — from having to utilise the portaloo option. For others, the damage caused to a privately owned bridge that connects five properties to Joll Rd itself, means even getting to their house remains a challenge.

The eventual replacement of that bridge would have to be paid for by those residents, the council spokesperson said.

It’s understood the Mangarau Stream was not a noted flood risk prior to Cyclone Gabrielle.

A Hastings District Council spokesperson said it was responsible for “clearing reported or known blockages caused by trees accumulating or falling in the watercourse from both private property and public land”.

In the case of the Mangarau Stream, “as far as our staff are aware the watercourse was in a clear state” before the cyclone.

None of which really explains to residents why their properties flooded so badly and whether it might happen again.

“Unless we get a large volume of rain, such as occurred on February 13 and 14, we should not have this issue occurring again in this area in the short term,’’ the district council spokesperson said.

* This story initially stated that Joll Road residents pay HBRC additional rates to HBRC for the Mangarau Stream’s upkeep.

There are five main streams which flow through Havelock North - Karituwhenua, School, Te Kahika, Mangarua and Herehere. Each stream ultimately discharges into the Karamu stream. The five Havelock Streams are the responsibility of Hastings District Council, as per the 2003 Governance Agreement and Hastings District Council rates cover the maintenance cost.