"If we'd been there on time and the sound system was working it might have been different.
"Somebody cocked up unfortunately."
Police Eastern Bay Area Commander Kevin Taylor speaks at a press conference about the Edgecumbe flood. Photo/George Novak
Hundreds of displaced residents had gathered at the Whakatane Wall Memorial Hall for last night's meeting, at which residents spoke of losing their homes and questioned the management of waterways before and during the disaster.
Mr Bonne today repeated a pledge to thoroughly investigate events surrounding the flood.
He said contractors were working around the clock but stressed that a state of emergency remained in force across the district.
In response to questions about the size and quality of a concrete stopbank which failed and let through floodwaters, Mr Bonne said he believed the proximity of a nearby road had influenced the type of stopbank that was in place.
"There have been millions of dollars spend on floodways," he said.
"But I can't guarantee that we can protect people from massive weather bombs.
"This was a storm of all storms and rivers were 30 per cent higher than what they were designed for."
Police Eastern Bay Area Commander Kevin Taylor said "a couple" of people had sneaked thorough a cordon overnight to get items such as clothes, but there had been no indication of looting.
Officials speak at a press conference in Whakatane about the Edgecumbe floods. Photo/George Novak
A cordon remained in place to provide security for homes and for health reasons.
However, police hoped to reduce the size of the cordon as soon as possible.
In Edgecumbe alone, 1600 people have been displaced by the breach of the Rangitaiki River floodwall.
