'The damage is looking huge' - communities grapple with storm clean-up
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
Communities across the top of the South Island are grappling with the mega clean-up task ahead, following last week's deluge.
Homes in Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough have been let uninhabitable, roads are damaged and properties have been inundated with flood waters.
Rural Support Trust Top of the South chair Richard Kempthorne said the destruction was significant.
"The damage is looking huge, so there are a lot of people, particularly on the Motueka, but also the Wai-iti River where the river has gone wide and very high and caused a lot of damage."
Kempthorne said long-term residents were in shock, as they had never seen such severe flooding.
"I think to put the scale into perspective, this is for both the Waimea, the Wai-iti and the Motueka rivers, 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."
Kempthorne said the trust expected the demand for services to be very high, but it is too early to say exactly how much help would be needed.
MetService is also warning
the regions to prepare for more thunderstorms, wind and rain later this week.
Kempthorne said people were hoping for the best.
"Probably the adrenaline rush that comes immediately after an event like this is wearing off or worn off, and so they're probably really hoping that the weather event that is coming is not anywhere near as severe as what we've just had," he said.
He urged anyone that needed help to get in touch with the trust or Civil Defence.
The government has also
unlocked extra support
for flood-affected farmers and growers, with $100,000 made available to support and coordinate recovery efforts.
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