A relief fund is being set up for community donations to the Rotorua residents affected by Sunday's storm.

On Sunday afternoon a deluge flooded more than 20 Rotorua homes, resulting in a state of emergency being declared.

Rotorua Lakes Council has been fielding offers of donations from generous community members who want to help those dealing with the aftermath of the floods on Sunday, says Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick.

The administration of the fund is being worked through with the office of Civil Defence Minister Kris Faafoi who was in Rotorua on Monday to see the flood damage himself.

A Mayoral Fund was discussed with the Minister during the visit and he has taken a letter of request back to parliament.

'There is so much goodwill in our community right now and we want to ensure that those who want to help with donations have somewhere to do so,” says Steve.

'The picture of how Sunday's events impacted our district is constantly changing and having a fund supported by Council and the Government that can help those in need will ease a lot of anxious minds.”

Meanwhile, a holding account has been made for anyone who would like to make donations specifically for that fund.

'The recovery period is going to be long process and ensuring our community is well supported is our top priority.”

The fund will be used to address the needs of individuals, families, community organisations and/or marae and their associated facilities and infrastructure.

Work to establish the terms of reference and criteria for applications to receive the fund is currently underway.

Donations will be able to made to the bank account number below or in person at the front desk at the Rotorua Lakes Council building (1061 Haupapa Street) between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Details for donations:

Account number: 02-0412-0234516-006

How: Direct Credit or in person at Rotorua Lakes Council building

Details: No specific statement details are needed

Council's Civil Defence Welfare team is continuing to speak with affected residents to assess their needs. At this stage Council is not aware of any goods that are required but people are encouraged to call Council's Customer Centre on 07 348 4199 if they would like to offer assistance of any sort.