The scene at coastal Ōakura after the mid-January weather bomb hit. Photo / Nena Rogers
The scene at coastal Ōakura after the mid-January weather bomb hit. Photo / Nena Rogers
Five weather-bomb-affected homes on Whangārei’s northeast coast have been red-stickered.
Local Democracy Reporting understands the affected homes are mostly at Ōakura.
Red stickers mean entry is prohibited and owners can’t go back into their houses to pick things up or check them out.
Whangārei District Councilbuilding inspectors did 34 rapid building assessments in the weather, slip and flood-affected area on Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24 – with stickers issued to indicate whether or how a building could be used.
Rapid building assessments are quick safety checks carried out on homes and buildings after an emergency such as flooding, slips, earthquakes or severe storms.
A summer’s worth of rain fell on the affected area in only a few hours on January 17 and 18.
Ten houses have also been yellow-stickered.
Yellow stickers mean restricted and cannot be used, or that entry is possible but only for a limited time and if under supervision or on essential business.
Part or all of a yellow-stickered building may have sustained moderate damage, or some areas of the building, neighbouring buildings or land instability pose a significant risk.
Nineteen homes were white-stickered.
The white sticker does not mean the building is completely safe or has suffered no damage.
But it can still be lived in as long as people are on the lookout for damage.
Rapid building assessments are carried out by trained council building inspectors, engineers or assessors.
The 10-20 minute check focuses on life safety rather than full structural compliance and are usually the first step before detailed engineering reports.
Assessors check out aspects including land instability or slip risk, flood damage undermining foundations, structural cracking or movement, dangerous debris, falling hazards and contamination.
The assessments are done under the Building Act 2004 as part of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act response.
Whangārei district civil defence emergency operations centre staff Photo / Susan Botting,
Meanwhile, emergency response staff from as far away as Canterbury have been brought in to help with Whangārei’s civil defence emergency response for the weather bomb-hit Whangāruru coast.
A Whangārei Civil Defence spokesperson said staff had been brought in from regions including Canterbury, Wellington, Manawatu and Auckland.
Staff from within Te Tai Tokerau are also assisting Whangārei District Council civil defence staff, including from Northland Regional Council and Kaipara District Council.
Most of the extras are from other councils, civil defence groups of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Trained volunteer New Zealand response teams have also been brought in.
