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By Tess Brunton of RNZ
Crews have assessed nearly 650 properties in the Nelson Tasman region after damaging floods and more heavy rain on Thursday.
Homes in Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough have been left uninhabitable, roads are damaged, and properties have been inundated with flood waters after last week’s wildweather, dubbed by local authorities as a “one-in-100-year event”.
Another bout of heavy rainfall came and went on Thursday without any major exacerbation of the existing post-flood crisis.
Nelson Tasman Civil Defence said of the properties assessed, crews have encouraged 90 of them to reach out for support, and the Rural Support Trust has already followed up with some of the residents.
The recovery from the Nelson Tasman floods is expected to cost millions of dollars. Photo / RNZ
Two community meetings are lined up for today at Riwaka Memorial Hall and Ngātīmoti Hall.
The trust’s chairman for the top of the south, Richard Kempthorne, said the destruction was “looking huge”.
“These are floods that you would expect to see maybe once every 100 years. So they are massive floods that pretty much everybody who’s living by them haven’t seen before.”
Earlier this week, the Government unlocked extra support for flood-affected farmers and growers, making up to $100,000 available to support and co-ordinate recovery efforts.
Kempthorne said the recovery would “cost millions of dollars”.
People returning to their homes are urged to take photos of all flood damage before they start the clean-up and contact their insurance company as soon as possible.
For some spots at the top of the south, last month marked its wettest June since records began back in 1941.
MetService confirmed more than 250mm of rain fell in Blenheim across the month, while about 220mm fell in Nelson – a record for both areas.
