Northland floods: Storm damage $17.6m-plus, as roads, classrooms remain closed

Friday, 31 July 2020

Matt Long says it's tough for farmers to handle floods after a drought, but they are not alone and must ask for support.

Two weeks after Northland’s devastating floods, the cost of the clean-up is being estimated in the tens of millions, and roads, classrooms and offices remain closed.

The storm saw more than 200mm of rain fall in Northland on July 17 and 18, just days after earlier flooding impacted the region.

The cost to local and central Government is estimated at $17.6m and rising, but that does not take into account the cost to private homes and vehicles, businesses and farms, as insurance claims are still coming in.

Flood debris nearly choked the waterway under Porowini Avenue bridge in central Whangārei, plus took down scaffolding put up to work on the bridge.

Some paddocks in the flood-prone Hikurangi Swamp are still inundated with water and it will be months before they are ready to be re-seeded, said Nicola Deveraux, co-ordinator of the Northland Rural Support Trust.

**READ MORE:

Paddocks marked by submerged fence posts is becoming a common site in Northland.

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It is a very stressful time for impacted farmers and the trust is running dinners for the farming community to get together and chat about the situation, she said.

Costs to farmers include grazing, fences that need fixing and drains that need to be dug out.

However, Deveraux said only a small number of farms were affected by the flooding when compared with those affected by the widespread Northland drought, which only ended with the flooding.

Whangārei District Council contractors work to repair a broken sewer line under Walton St bridge.

The drought exacerbated the impact of the flooding, as the ground was hard and cracked, and supplementary feed in short supply, she said.

The cleanup is also continuing for homes, businesses and schools.

A total of 23 Northland schools had some flood damage, and classrooms remain closed at six schools –Hikurangi School, Maunu School, Kaikohe East School, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Rawhiti Roa, Whau Valley School and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kaikohe.

Heavy rain caused flooding, slips and damage to houses and roads in Northland.

The Ministry of Education worked with the schools to move classes to other buildings, like school halls, while repair work is done, said Kim Shannon, head of education infrastructure service.

Costs are covered by ministry funding, and initial remediation costs are already likely to exceed $1m, she said.

“This is expected to increase as more information becomes available.”

The costs are also expected to increase for Whangārei District Council, which currently estimates $8m damage was done to roads, pipes, parks and reserves.

Chief executive Rob Forlong said jobs can sometimes require more money as they turn out to be more complicated than originally thought.

Five local roads are still closed by slips, while some walking tracks are expected to be closed by up to four months. The council’s own central Whangārei offices, Forum North, are also still closed by flooding damage.

Forlong said about 95 per cent of the damage will be cleared up by the end of the year.

In the Far North, all local roads are now open, although some still have single-lane restrictions in place.

A total of 226 roads and three bridges were impacted by flooding or slips, costing an estimated $2.65m, said Andy Finch, general manager – infrastructure and asset management.

Contractors are also still working on a permanent fix to the council’s water treatment plant at Paihia but need water levels to drop before the damage can be fixed.

State Highway 1 at Mangamuka Gorge, south of Kaitaia, remains closed by two big slips. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency previously estimated its cleanup bill at $5.9m, not including the Mangamuka repairs.

KiwiRail is also working hard to repair and improve its damaged railway line, which remains closed between Whangārei and Kauri.

“KiwiRail staff and contractors have been working between Whangārei and Kamo to clear slips and carry out stabilisation work, including building retaining walls,” executive general manager operations Siva Sivapakkiam said.

The cost is not yet known, he said.

The rail line is used to carry dairy product from Fonterra’s Kauri plant to Whangārei. The line south of Whangārei has been closed since June, due to a major upgrade of the track, bridges and tunnels.