Cyclone Gabrielle victims say quick removal of slash can save lives

Marian Drive residents want the Gladstone Road Bridge and other city bridges cleared of slash more quickly to minimise property damage and potentially save lives. That was one submission made to yesterday's Gisborne District Council's hearing on its Three-Year Plan.

Marian Drive residents have told Gisborne District Council slash needs to be removed as it builds up to prevent possible loss of life and stop Gisborne from being “munted”.

Paul Mullooly, representing a group of Marian Drive and Graham Rd residents impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle, yesterday told a council’s hearing regarding its 2024-2027 Three-Year Plan the failure to clear slash from the William Pettie Bridge and “the town bridge” was a major contributor towards flooding.

Residents believed removing debris as it became lodged would have prevented much damage.

Mullooly said he had held informal conversations with “senior port people” who believed the port’s high loader could have removed debris as it built up.

The council had been approached about such a scheme, which could reduce flooding and damage upstream and minimise the risk to bridges.

“You could have a Hikuwai event,” he said in reference to the cyclone-destroyed bridge situated north of Tolaga Bay, which was dismantled after the cyclone.

Mullooly said there were health and safety issues when operating machinery on a bridge, but machinery could be used on either side of the bridge.

He said doing nothing risked loss of life and severe loss of property.

“Gisborne is going to be munted, and the East Coast.”

Such a scenario could raise issues of negligence.

Another Marian Drive resident, Simon Lourie, said he saw a digger removing the worst of the slash five days after Gabrielle first struck the district.

There was torrential rain, the river was in full flood and the slash was building up.

He saw a small digger removing the worst of the slash.

‘It was like a plug in a bath.”

Lourie said he wanted an action plan to get the worst of the slash removed.

It was not a big job, but the effect on people’s lives would be huge.

Mullooly, an insurance broker, said it was not easy to get insurance for properties which had been flooded.

It could be difficult to sell such properties as banks “won’t lend against the property”.

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said the insurance “question” would have to be addressed nationally.

“We need to lobby Government to look into it, because I see lots of people saying, ‘I am going to lose my house’, and the insurance company still doesn’t come to the party,” she said.

Public submissions continued today, and councillors are due to adopt the Three-Year Plan on June 11.