Video: Supporting cut-off communities a priority for Hawke’s Bay Emergency Management
Communities still cut-off after the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle are being supported with generators and Skylink internet connections choppered in to provide a lifeline to the outside world.
Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group controller Ian MacDonald told a media standup today that two weeks after the cyclone, the full focus is on “responding to support the communities that still are feeling the impacts of this event”.
“We have delivered hundreds of Starling Internet connections and over 180 generators to isolated communities as an interim measure. Some of our rural communities are still isolated, and I just want to acknowledge those. There are too many to list here and we've been making deliveries of essential supplies using both Defence assets and civilian helicopters.”
“The heavy rain this morning, which has affected Wairoa and the precautionary evacuation of Esk Valley last Friday reminded us that some parts of our region are still vulnerable, and the weather is still impacting on this response.”
“And this is a multi-agency response, which is being coordinated here by the Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group, in partnership with Iwi, who are enabling many aspects of this response.”
“It involves our emergency services, all of our council resources, New Zealand Defence Forces, our lifelines or critical infrastructure, a huge number of volunteers, and locals who have stood up community hubs in their own areas and are still cut off.”
Macdonald says the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has been working hard to repair stock banks and reinstate some of the telemetry which measures the level of rivers.
“ Unison and Waka Kotahi and council roading contractors are making good progress with reinstating essential services and road links, but this will take time in the worst effective areas and is impacted by ongoing weather.”
Macdonald says all actions are being coordinated through the hub at the showgrounds at Hastings.
The Mayor of Hastings, Sandra Hazlehurst, says: “Our district has 10 isolated rural communities, and we have about 21 pockets of our rural community that we know. We have to make sure they've got everything that they need.”
“This is about not leaving anyone behind, making sure everybody is cared for, looked after, and that's been our mantra over the last few weeks. There is some incredible work. This morning I've been to Puketapu and a new community hub has been set up. The community is standing up, and with the help and support of the wider group, everybody leaning in and making sure that people have the information.”
Hazlehurst says there are about 1,000 people out on the roads with 100 crews clearing slips from our roads, clearing roads, moving silt to the side or in some parts making sure that silt is taken away.
“There is all a collection of household waste that is now being collected up from our most vulnerably hit.”
Alex Walker, the Mayor of Central Hawke’s Bay says that the Hawke's Bay region has very diverse communities and the cyclone has had diverse impacts on households, businesses, farms and producers.
“It's really important that we are coordinating together as a Hawke's Bay region, and that is what we are doing.”
Walker says that recent rain has continued to isolate communities in Central Hawke’s Bay.
“This rain has continued to isolate more people, it has closed roads, it has created more significant structural issues on our roading network and cutting more people off. We continue to reach out to look after you and understand that those situations are changing and that it's causing stress for everybody.”
“We'll continue to work to restore those roading routes as best that we can and we'll continue to deliver welfare support.”
