Despair in the Bay

Landowners at Matata - the area hit hardest by flooding in the Bay of Plenty last week - have been devastated to learn they may not be allowed to rebuild their wrecked homes on sections deemed unsafe.

Others have months of work before their homes are even close to being liveable.

"We have looked at 91 houses and seven of those were declared safe," said disaster area manager Diane Turner yesterday.

"Others need work on things like the septic tanks but there are some that won't be lived in again."

Some residents have blamed the council for letting them build in the first place.

Twenty homes have been pronounced structurally safe, but will need some rebuilding work before people can return to them.

Drains and septic tanks on 19 properties will have to be cleaned, and another seven homes have been declared safe by inspectors.

Whakatane District Council spokeswoman Mary Hermanson said the biggest barrier to getting people back into their homes was the removal of silt from the sections, stormwater drains and septic tanks.

She said the council was working with the Earthquake Commission, the Insurance Council and insurance companies to "facilitate progressing claims and getting people back into their homes".

The attitudes of locals was "amazing", she said.

"They're pretty devastated, but it's a very tight community. I mean they really are quite inspiring people."

More than 250 Matata residents have been evacuated since the flood struck on Wednesday.

Up to 20 houses were destroyed with another 50 suffering minimal to substantial damage.

A total of 297 people had registered as evacuees with the welfare centre at Whakatane War Memorial.

The Earthquake Commission said yesterday it had so far received more than 300 claims totalling $8 million.

In Tauranga, 17 houses have now been categorised as too dangerous to go back into, or in imminent danger.

A further 70 houses were deemed safe to check under supervision, and six have been given the all-clear.

One of those six was the McIvor family. Andrew McIvor, 29, his wife Kerri, 26, and 15-month-old son Callum, left their Otumoetai home on Wednesday night after slips endangered houses on their street.

The council told them it was OK to return but Mr McIvor had doubts.

"I'm a bit hesitant myself."

They have been renting there for almost five months, and are going to look for somewhere else to stay.

More than 180 people were evacuated from Papamoa on Wednesday night but only one house in the area is seriously damaged.

A recovery team took over from civil defence on Friday, and its priority has to been to assess properties, get people back into their homes, and to meet the needs of evacuees.

The team has had more than 200 offers of accommodation.

"People really like to help," said spokeswoman Elizabeth Hughes.

Team leader Terry Wynyard said they were watching the weather, with more rain expected today.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY