The clean up at Waihī Beach is well underway following the one in 250 year flood event.

Following the May 29 weather event, Western Bay of Plenty District Council team members, engineers, contractors and community responders have been doing the rounds of Waihī Beach helping to clean up, make repairs, assess damage and help everyone get back to normal as soon as possible.

Mayor James Denyer visited Waihī Beach immediately after the flooding to see the damage and speak with residents affected by the flooding and again the next day to see the clean-up works.

'In the days after the storm there's been a hive of activity on the streets of Waihī Beach. And while we know it'll be a long road to recovery it's great to see some quick progress being made on the clean up and the initial repairs.

'And once again, I'd just like to acknowledge the community for their resilience and community spirit. The way you pull together to help one another in an emergency is admirable.

"For now, making sure residents are doing okay and have all the basics is our priority. Our team have done wellbeing checks on evacuees and residents who need it and we're working closely with other government agencies to ensure that everyone gets the help they need.”

Pensioner housing

The tenants of the 11 flood affected housing units have a team of our people helping them sort through their things, removing wet carpet and cleaning up.

While all of the units have been assessed and are not considered dangerous, it's going to be a while before some of the tenants can move back in.

Making the units habitable with repairs, new wall linings, carpets and new appliances could take up to two months so our team are working on nearby longer-term accommodation for all those who need it. And we thank the community for coming forward with offers of accommodation.

Building assessments

More than15 rapid building assessments have been carried out and the good news is that none of the flood affected homes have been declared ‘dangerous'. Once buildings dry out and wall linings are replaced, they will be safe to live in again. But the recovery will be an ongoing process for many and the insurance companies will now step in.

Roading

Silt and mud covered a number of Waihī Beach's roads.

All roads are open except for off Pacific Road (access to Reservoir carpark and walkway) where the flood waters have removed large parts of concrete curbing, asphalt and scoured out the foundation of the road. Access to the Trig walking track is still available from Ocean View Road.

Flood waters scoured out the foundation of concrete at the reservoir accessway.

Concrete and asphalt on the reservoir accessway were carved up and damaged by the stream of floodwater.

Reserves

The floodwaters have eroded away significant chunks of the reservoir walking track's gravel surface.

A 7-8m slip on the Trig Track is just some of the damage caused by erosion in the area.

Local reserves and walking tracks have also been assessed. ​

The Trig Track has some significant erosion damage including a large slip, but we are doing our best to get the track reopened for the long weekend along with access via Ocean View Road.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for news.

Other trails around the reservoir and the Forest Loop track will remain closed until further notice as work is needed to repair the damage and make them safe for use again. Access via Pacific Road needs to be reinstated before machinery can be brought in to help with track repairs.

Further damage elsewhere on the reservoir walking tracks means most are unsafe for use for the time being.

Beach accessways are also in varying states, so we ask people to please be careful getting down onto the beach.

The accessway at Albacore Ave playground has washed out and the dune beneath the nearby Norfolk Pine has also eroded significantly.

The sand dune surrounding the Norfolk Pine north of the Albacore Avenue playground has eroded significantly.

The damage to One Mile Creek including dislodged gabion baskets, erosion near the footbridge and bench seating, have also been assessed and will be repaired in due time. In the meantime, the footbridge remains closed.

Erosion has exposed the concrete footing of a bench seat near by One Mile Creek.

The now closed One Mile Creek footbridge has been significantly eroded.

Water infrastructure

All of our water systems were operating at normal or near normal levels by Tuesday, May 30, morning.

The reservoir worked as designed throughout the rainfall event with excess stormwater water going over into the spillways.

It was just the intensity of the rainfall that meant the reservoir went from near normal levels to overflowing within an hour. Geotechnical engineers will check its integrity as a matter of normal checking procedure, but the reservoir stayed intact throughout the rainfall event.

In terms of the wider stormwater system, the sheer volume of rain in the short space of time meant that rain was falling faster than it could be carried away through the stormwater system. Given that most of the water did drain away relatively quickly, council's know the stormwater was working throughout, but it wasn't designed for the deluge we saw on Monday afternoon.

'An hour of intense rain has left us with a big clean up job, but we're tackling it piece by piece,” says Denyer.

'We know people have questions about the stormwater system but it's too soon to say whether the system needs any significant upgrades beyond some already planned upcoming projects that may help mitigate future flooding. But as we've seen in other parts of the country, our stormwater systems are not designed for this level of intense rainfall and run off, and when it occurs, overland flow and flooding is likely to follow.”

Repeated weather events can cause a huge amount of fatigue and stress. Whether you or people you know were affected by the flooding on Monday or not, this kind of event takes a toll. It's completely normal to feel stressed but there are things you can do to feel better. Call or text 1737 to speak to a trained counsellor.

Friends and family make also be feeling a little uneasy so don't forget to check in with your loved ones.

If you see any further storm damage report it to us on 0800 926 732, email info@westernbay.govt.nz or report it via Antenno.