A dozen Kaiaua houses uninhabitable

A dozen Kaiaua houses are rendered uninhabitable after last Friday’s storm. Photo: Supplied.

An inspection of houses on storm affected areas of the Kaiaua coast finds 12 homes are severely damaged and uninhabitable, 72 are moderately damaged and partially habitable and another 157 received minor damage.

Storm affected areas include Kaiaua, Waharau, Whakatiwai, and Pukorokoro/Miranda. A king tide during last Friday's severe onshore winds, raised sea levels causing flooding along the coast.

Three of the 18 farms assessed by Civil Defence teams in conjunction with Rural Support Trust are considered to have severe pasture and crop damage. The remaining farms have varying amounts of pasture and crop damage.

There is also property damage located in a small area of Waikato District, bordering Hauraki District which are being assessed by Waikato District Council.

'We've had an overwhelming response from people wanting to donate money to help those affected by the flooding. We'll publicise details of how people can donate to this fund as soon as we can,” says Hauraki district Council Civil Defence recovery manager Peter Thom.

The Council and the Rural Support Trust will be following up on a number of enquiries and offering help where they can. The Council is also in the process of setting up a Disaster Relief Fund for the Kaiaua Coast area.

Skip bins will continue to be available along the coast for residents doing clean-up work until the end of the weekend. After this people should contact their private insurers about covering the cost of rubbish removal.

Dust sweepers have recently been clearing dust from East Coast Road.

'Unfortunately, it's not possible to dampen the roads before doing this work as it doesn't sweep up well when wet, and once it dries it sets a bit like concrete,” says communication officer Paula Trubshaw.

'We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this and appreciate people's patience while we get this work done. As dust will collect in gutters and on roofs during this work, we advise people to disconnect rainwater tanks and spouting before the next rainfall to avoid dust entering their water supplies.”

The Kaiaua Boat Ramp Freedom camping area is closed until further notice to prevent overloading of infrastructure in the area. Rays Rest camping area is not officially closed, but the council is advising people to avoid the area as the sand that has been deposited there is deep and soft in places and vehicles have needed to be towed out. Contractors will also be doing quite a bit of work in the area over the coming weeks.

Ministry of Health guidance

  • Swimming in the area is safe
  • Eating shellfish gathered in the area is not recommended at this time
  • Most home-grown vegetables and fruit affected by flood water can be washed and eaten 7 days after the event. Leafy vegetables such as lettuce should be discarded.

Other information

Rural Support Trust

For rural support, information, and advice on what happens to land affected by seawater contact the Rural Support Trust or go to the Rural Support Trust website.

Insurance

The Insurance Council is advising those affected to contact their insurer as soon as possible.

'When it's safe to do so, take pictures of any flooding or weather-related damage – this will help your insurer with their assessment when you make a claim,” says Insurance Council Chief Executive, Tim Grafton.

'If property you've already photographed receives further damage, take more photos. This is especially important if you need to move damaged or contaminated goods from your house for health and safety reasons.”

The Earthquake commission says people may be eligible to lodge a claim with EQC as well as their private insurer.

  • If you have flood damage to the land around your home, including the access way and retaining walls that support the land (not walls that are landscape features only) then contact EQC. EQC does not cover flood damage to houses or their contents.
  • To get EQC cover, home owners need a home or contents insurance policy that includes fire protection with a private insurance company when the natural disaster damage occurred.
  • While it may speed up the process if you make a claim quickly, you have three months from the date of the damage to lodge your claim.
  • EQC recommends lodging a claim with them at the same time as you lodge a claim with the private insurer
  • You can get more information or make an EQC claim online on the EQC website or call EQC on 0800 326 243.

Feeling stressed?

An "event" like last week's storm can be traumatic and it's normal to feel stressed. Sometimes it takes weeks for emotional and mental stress to start bubbling to the surface. Remember you are not alone. Talk to friends and family. If you feel like you need help at any stage, contact your GP in the first instance. Here is some information that may be helpful.

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