Damage around Rotorua after Cyclone Gabrielle. Video / Andrew Warner
Rotorua Lakes Council’s $800,000 Cyclone Gabrielle repair bill looks set to rise, with costs to fix damage to the Energy Events Centre and council greenhouses still unknown.
Combined with figures from Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council, Rotorua’s estimate brings the approximate cost of the cycloneand the Auckland Anniversary weekend storm to the region to $16-21 million.
Cyclone Gabrielle’s damage to the North Island in mid-February included historic flooding, widespread destruction to agricultural, horticultural and viticultural lands, dozens of impassable roads, severe coastal erosion, the country’s third National State of Emergency declaration and loss of life.
In March, Rotorua Lakes Council estimated Cyclone Gabrielle had cost an estimated $800,000. The figure included $500,000 in emergency repairs and slip clearing, $150,000 in damages to lakeside structures such as walkways and jetties and $150,000 for the clearing of fallen trees.
A Rotorua Lakes Council spokesperson told the Rotorua Daily Post this week the estimates did not include the cost of repairing damage to the roof of the Energy Events Centre and the “majority” of the greenhouses in the council’s nursery.
Council deputy chief executive of infrastructure and environment, Stavros Michael, said the council would continue to work with developers to ensure good planning and design of housing and commercial development to address foreseeable risks.
“[The council is] continuing to upgrade Three Waters infrastructure and increase its capacity in line with climate change predictions,” Michael said.
“It is important for people to understand that this does not guarantee there won’t be flooding or damage as a result of future events because we cannot predict the nature, intensity or extent of future weather events that could exceed the network’s design capacities.”
Michael said preparedness and resilience at an individual, household and wider community level were key.
“We will continue to work with our community on emergency preparedness plans and will continue to work with council staff and partner agencies who undertake civil defence duties to maintain our civil defence response capabilities.”
Rotorua Lakes Council infrastructure and environment deputy chief executive Stavros Michael. Photo / Laura Smith
Western Bay of Plenty District Council has estimated its damage bill after the Auckland Anniversary rains and Cyclone Gabrielle to be $15-20m, “give or take up to 30 per cent”.
Council reserves and facilities manager Peter Watson said it was still too early to have an accurate estimation for all the repairs needed.
“Most of the damage incurred was to roads and bridges, including the washing-out of No 4 Rd Bridge in Te Puke, where a temporary bridge is now in place,” Watson said.
“Damage to reserves and associated clean-up costs were approximately $40,000. We have 32 sites [and] activities in need of repair work which will take more than two years to complete.”
Watson said decisions were yet to be made on the level of reinstatement on some roads pending consultations.
“We’ll be seeking funding assistance from the Government through the established Financial Assistance Rate for emergency works and repairs.”
Watson said the council would continue to plan for and mitigate the effects of climate change events on communities.
“We’re grateful to the Western Bay community for being so well-prepared and for working with us to report and work around damage as needed.”
This bridge on No. 4 Rd in Te Puke was washed out in the Auckland Anniversary weekend rains. Photo / Tyson Smith
In a response under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, Tauranga City Council revealed Cyclone Gabrielle repairs had cost about $399,500 to date.
Of this, $80,000 was incurred by contractors in the City Waters team for “handling a high volume of mechanical issues with our pump stations, ongoing proactive checking of the Three Waters network and the replenishment of sandbags”.
The cyclone cost the council’s transport team $110,000 due to downed trees and powerlines, blown-over lighting poles, street cleaning and staff costs.
The largest cost, $199,500, was for cleaning up fallen trees and branches and repairs to walkways, sand ladders and beach accessways.
The clean-up was “continuing” and tree stumps that still required grinding or removal would incur more cost.
A debriefing document on the cyclone response to the council by emergency management team leader Daniel Pearce, two weeks after the storm, praised the staff response.
Areas for improvement highlighted included the need for more digital support and improved communication with sites outside of cell coverage.
Asked for an estimate of the cost of damages from Cyclone Gabrielle, Bay of Plenty Regional Council general manager of regulatory services Reuben Fraser said the question was “probably best answered by the territorial authorities”.
Fraser said the council had been focusing on supporting Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay.
“[We have] yet to fully debrief our emergency management response to the event or formalise lessons learnt from responses in other regions, but we will be doing that.”
