People are being warned to keep an eye out for their friends and neighbours following the declaration of a state of local emergency covering the entire Bay of Plenty region.

The Bay of Plenty is expected to be affected by rain as Cyclone Cook which is forecast to hit land from midday.

'It's important we look out for one another in the coming days so make sure you have a plan to keep yourself and your loved ones safe,” Rotorua MP Todd McClay says.

Todd says the declaration of a state of local emergency means that government agencies and emergency services are all on standby and will work closely with residents should they be needed.

The National Security System has been activated to ensure all-of-government coordinated planning ahead of the severe weather.

The declaration of a state of local emergency also allows emergency services access to more resources from a wider area and follows another issued recently for ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie.

'There has been a lot of rain in the Bay of Plenty over the last month. Lake and river levels are high and in many areas the ground remains waterlogged. Our services are well placed to assist but people should be prepared,” says Todd.

'There will be frequent Civil Defence updates, listen to the radio and be careful when driving.”

Meanwhile, Whakatane District Council says it has been making good progress on getting Edgecumbe residents back into their homes and inspecting properties in the flooded area.

The aim is to inspect 300 houses in Edgecumbe by the end of tomorrow.

The work started yesterday morning, with 16 building Inspectors from across the Lakes Coast building cluster.

A further 13 building control officers are arriving from Auckland Council to assist today.

The inspectors have been inspecting each flood damaged house to assess whether structural damage has occurred, the extent of flood damage, and whether it is safe to move back into homes.

Some homes have been moved off their foundations, some brick cladding has collapsed and will likely be deemed dangerous.

Many homes will require wall linings to be removed. Silt will need to be removed from under the buildings in order to help the framing to dry out before they can be repaired and become habitable again.

'We will offer owners free building consents to record the process and completion of any repair to a flood damaged home,” says Mayor Tony Bonne.

'This independent oversight will provide certainty about the repair process for current and future property owners.”

Also, Whakatane District Council is facilitating a meeting today with representatives of all insurance companies and the Earthquake Commission to help make assessment processes as smooth and possible.

Once building inspections are completed, the council will contact affected owners to discuss the outcome of their assessment and provide them with a copy of it for them and their insurer.

'We will continue to work closely with insurers and property owners to make the recovery process as simple as possible in the circumstances,” says Tony.

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Steady progress on building inspections