Warning: weather to worsen

The Whytes have owned the house for 46 years. Photo / Whakatane Beacon

Damage caused by the recent storms has cost the country more than $2.5 million, and worse weather is forecast.

The Earthquake Commission has received more than 240 claims since May 15, when storms brought heavy rain, flooding, and landslides.

Fresh weather warnings are in place today as the MetService predicts further heavy rain across the country.

MetService forecaster Mark Pascoe has issued a severe weather warning advising that heavy rain will fall in central and northern New Zealand today and tomorrow.

Around 100mm of rain is expected in the Bay of Plenty ranges, Gisborne north of Ruatoria, Tongariro and Egmont National Parks, also the ranges of Nelson and northern Marlborough, until this evening, with some more heavy falls expected after that.

"People in these areas should look out for rising river levels, and remain up to date with the latest forecasts," said Pascoe.

Lance Dixon, insurance manager at the Earthquake Commission, said most damage claims so far were from Napier, Whakatane, Tasman, Waitaki and Wellington.

"We are bringing in assessors as quickly as possible to work on the claims," Dixon said.

He said the claims have reached around $2.5m. Claims would continue to flood in as people have up to three months to lodge them, he said, with the prospect of further heavy weather today.

"We had another eight claims lodged this morning and there will be more coming through," he said yesterday."Especially around the Bay of Plenty, the ground is so saturated already."

Just two claims have come in for homes completely written off, both in Ohope, said Dixon.

The Earthquake Commission's coverage includes landslide damage to houses and contents, and damage from storms and floods.

Slip slidin' away

Lying in bed, something about the torrential rain beating against the roof last week made Graheme Whyte particularly nervous.

He got up, picked up a flashlight, and went to the back door of his Ohope home.

"My husband opened the back door to shine his torch out to see what was happening," said his wife, Ivy Whyte.

"He heard a big roar so backed up and shut the door, but it just exploded open and all the mud came surging in."

The Whytes had a lucky escape when a landslide crushed the back of their home, "wrecking" the kitchen, laundry and dining room.

Ivy Whyte ran to help her husband, who was partly pinned by the washing machine. He suffered a broken toe and gashes to both feet.

The back part of the house was full of mud and the phone was buried, so the couple stayed in the unaffected bedroom until the morning.

"The family were horrified we stayed there the night, but we didn't know if there had been further slips down the road or what was happening."

At 6am, they drove to their son's home nearby, where they have been staying since.

"We had owned that house for 46 years. It was a well-built house - and now it is written off," Ivy Whyte said.

The couple have made a claim to the Earthquake Commission, just one of two from the recent storms where the entire house has been written off.

joseph.barratt@hos.co.nz