Crisis state in Whakatane to be reviewed

By ELIZABETH BINNING

The state of civil emergency in the flood-stricken Whakatane District could be lifted today as the region starts to dry out and clean up.

The situation will be reviewed at 4pm, when it will be decided if the region is stable enough to remove the state of emergency that has been in place since heavy rains hit the Eastern Bay of Plenty last weekend.

Civil Defence spokeswoman Diane Turner said Opotiki lifted its state of emergency on Friday afternoon but the Whakatane District was still too dangerous at that stage and many homes were still under water.

That situation improved somewhat during the weekend as workers tended to local roads and floodwater was pumped from sodden homes and farms.

Although earthquakes continued to rock the region - two more hit northwest of Kawerau yesterday - there had been no new reports of damage.

A stopbank breach that was spilling water in the Rangitaiki Plains has now been sealed.

Floodwater was being pumped from the plains, allowing access to many homes during the weekend.

Ms Turner said that building inspectors also continued to make their way through affected homes, assessing which were safe to live in and which would have to be repaired.

About 100 people are still living in evacuation centres, which have been manned by volunteers since last Sunday.

Volunteers - from those in evacuation centres to the emergency services - have played a major role in the flooded communities since the disaster struck.

On Friday, dozens of volunteers from outside the region moved in to relieve their local counterparts.

Staff from Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty took up the Civil Defence post, while volunteer firefighters from the Waikato stepped in and manned the Whakatane and Edgecumbe fire stations.