Disorganisation hit emergency teams responding to Napier flood, says report

Last year, on Monday, November 9, Napier experienced severe rainfall with one gauge recording 250.2 millimetres of rain over a 24 hour period. Photo / NZME

Two new reports into a Napier flood that displaced hundreds and caused $90 million worth of damage have revealed disorganisation and failing infrastructure as record rains fell.

A review carried out by Fire and Emergency NZ looked at the actions taken by local councils and civil defence.

On November 9 last year, Napier experienced severe rainfall, with one gauge recording 250.2 millimetres of rain over a 24-hour period.

Most of the rain fell in the late afternoon, with an hourly peak of 54mm between 5pm and 6pm and a six-hour total of 210.6mm between 2pm-8pm on Monday.

While the local Fire and Emergency area commander received a heavy rain warning for Hawke's Bay at 10am on the Monday and began monitoring the weather, these external indicators failed to include mention of Napier City.

It wasn't until 111 emergency calls started coming in around 4.30pm, shortly before the flooding's peak, that Hawkes Bay Civil Defence and Emergency Group and the acting Controller for Napier City Council were contacted.

At 8.10pm before a local state of emergency was declared by Napier mayor Kirsten Wise.

The flooding cause widespread issues across Napier and also led to some properties on the hill to become unstable due to landslips. Photo / Warren Buckland

The floods made 115 dwellings uninhabitable and created at least 173 evacuees, though official figures remained unclear due to self-evacuations.

More than $42 million worth of insured losses were filed in residential properties and contents, $33m in commercial and $12.2m for cars.

While initially considered a "once-in-250-year event", analysis in the report found it was actually a "one-in-100-year event".

So, what went wrong?

The review found there was "confusion, delays and information flow difficulties" relating to different operating systems and processes being used by the agencies responding to the event. It recommended the creation of a common operating platform.

Another key issue was the shortage of people and resources, with the Napier incident management team (IMT) described as "very light" and "lack[ing] the look of a
solid, well-appointed and functioning team".

Wise told the review undertakers she would have appreciated quicker support and she would have been prepared to declare a state of emergency earlier.

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise (right), pictured here alongside Minister for Emergency Management Kiri Allan, said she would have been prepared to declare a local state of emergency earlier. Photo / NZME

She also found that people she was advised who were going to turn up to support the local IMT did not arrive.

Some council did not come in to help, citing that they had been fatigued from the region's Covid-19 response.

"It was clear that some people were weary after the Covid-19 response, meaning some did not make themselves available. This did cause some resentment for those that did put in the extra effort," the report stated.

Some of those interviewed also felt emergency management training was "not given enough priority" by council managers, leading to a lack of confidence in roles, particularly around leadership, by some staff and preference to "continue with business as usual" instead of responding to the flood.

More than $33 million of insured losses related to commercial property damage as retailers fought to keep the water out. Photo / NZME

Infrastructure issues

A separate report into the floodings undertaken by Toa Consulting for Hawke's Bay Regional Council focused more on the infrastructure issues which contributed to the event.

It found the intensity of rainfall was "far beyond the design capacity or capability" of NCC's drainage system.

More than 75 per cent of the stormwater network required pumping, and ponding while water backed up was widely experienced. Debris clearance was also an ongoing issue.

Pumps in at least two sites also failed, including one which was without power for more than 12 hours with a generator and three mobile pumps were brought in.

Cars driving through floodwaters, like this one on Carlyle St, contributed to further property damage a report to Hawke's Bay Regional Council found. Photo / NZME

While the report found this increased the duraton of the flooding, it was unlikely it would have made a signficant difference to the outcome of the event, it said.

Alternative power sources for the pumps were recommended.

Greater operation between NCC and the regional council was also needed for effective co-managment of drainage systems to resolve issues.

"[It] appears there is no overall response plan for the management of the network."

Rick Barker, Chairman of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, welcomed the reports and commended the agencies involved in the event for their quick response, which was a testament to the strong network of civil defence relationships in Hawke's Bay.

"There is also room for improvement. In any major event, things go wrong so this is an opportunity to analyse what worked well and what didn't, to bake in the lessons learned and be ready for any future events."

Wise said the reports provide the opportunities to act on the conclusions, including the potential to coordinate the operation of drainage assets maintained independently by Napier City and the Regional Council."

"We have an action plan and we are getting on with making changes through what we've learnt here."