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Cyclone Gabrielle - Housing Assessments & Cleaning

Temporary Accommodation Services

If you need accommodation following a natural disaster phone 0508 754 163 Monday - Friday 8.30am - 5pm Saturday and Sunday 8.30am - 5pm.

Building Inspections

Our Building Consent Officers have for the most part completed rapid assessment inspections across the district. If you have flood damage to your home and require an inspection, contact our team. Our Building Consent officers are now beginning re-inspections for YELLOW and RED stickered homes. If you have any questions call us on 06 857 80 60

Following inspections, your property will receive either a WHITE, YELLOW or RED sticker. The stickers are a legal instruction and only authorised officials can place, change or remove them.

  • RED – Means re-entry is prohibited because the building is no longer safe or significantly compromised.
  • YELLOW- A yellow sticker means assessors have concerns about the building’s performance and access may have been restricted to part of the building only or may be restricted for short-term only.
  • WHITE – The property may have minor damage but is sufficiently safe and habitable.

If the property is stickered RED or YELLOW residents may need Temporary Accommodation Services or to stay with family and friends in the meantime. 

Our Welfare Response Team will be contacting residents stickered RED and YELLOW to offer support and discuss next steps.

If your building has been affected by the cyclone, and you have not yet had an inspection, please contact our Customer Service team on: 06 857 8060.

What happens next?

Rapid assessments are an initial safety check. You will need to make contact with your insurer as a first step and depending on the damage, speak to a suitably qualified tradesperson or chartered professional engineer. Once work has been completed, Council inspectors will need to sign it off to have the sticker removed from your property.

Support and assistance may be available through Ministry of Social Developments Civil Defence payments, please contact them on: 0800 400 100.

The Building Act sets out a number of offences and penalties for non-compliance when the Building Act powers are in place. The responsible person who has been designated for building emergency management has the powers to make decisions about non-compliance.

The powers for offences and penalties are in sections 133BR to 133BU, and 133BW and 133BX of the Building Act. The penalties include the ability for fines of between $5,000 and $200,000 to be imposed if a person intentionally fails to comply with the relevant provisions of the Building Act.

The responsible person will consider the appropriate compliance approach. 

Additional MBIE messages 

MBIE has activated the National Building Response Management Plan to support the response to the emergency in the Auckland Region and in preparation for Cyclone Gabrielle.

The Building Management Response Team will continue to monitor activities in the designated area and consider further support for Central Hawkes Bay District. Central Hawkes Bay District Council are still assessing the damage in their region.

 

The New Zealand Claims Resolution Service will provide expert support to homeowners with insurance claims after natural disasters to avoid disputes, resolve issues and ensure claims are settled as quickly as possible. Homeowners who have concerns about their claim or are unsure about the process can contact NZCRS on:

0508 624 327

email contact@nzcrs.govt.nz or visit www.nzcrs.govt.nz.

DK Legal

Phone 06 876 3553 or email emma@dklegal.co.nz or nicola@dklegal.co.nz

Key messages on the designation  

On 20 February 2023, Central Hawke's Bay District Council notified the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment of their decision to designate Central Hawke's Bay District, under the Building Act 2004, to manage buildings that have been affected by flooding and land instability.

The decision to designate the area of the Central Hawke's Bay District will allow Central Hawke's Bay District Council to manage any on-going risks to people from buildings as a result of the event.

What is a designated area?

A designated area is an area approved by the relevant decision maker to allow a local authority to take specific actions under the Building Act to manage buildings in an emergency. The decision to designate this area was made by the Local CDEM Controller of Central Hawke's Bay District on 20 February 2023.

The designated area extends across the entire Central Hawke's Bay District. The area designated will be reviewed once Rapid Building Assessments are completed. 

This designation will be reviewed every 90 days by Central Hawke's Bay District Council to confirm that the powers conferred by the designation are required to manage the response and recovery.  

The designation may remain in place until 17 February 2026, unless terminated earlier.

What will happen next?

Once a designated area is in place, the Building Act provides a number of special powers that may be exercised in respect of all buildings within the designated area.

The powers that can be used within a designated area provide a responsible person with authority to (among other things):

  • Enter buildings.
  • Complete post-event assessments.
  • Direct the evacuation of buildings.
  • Put in place measures for protecting buildings and keeping people at a safe distance.
  • Place notices and signs on buildings.
  • Direct the owners of building or land to provide information.
  • Direct works (urgent and non-urgent) to remove or reduce risks.

Direct works for long term use or occupation of a building.

How long will it be a designated area?

Until all buildings within the area are deemed safe, Central Hawke's Bay District Council will review the designation at least every 90 days and notify the public of the outcome of this review.

A designation of an area can be in force for up to three years and can be subsequently extended one time for a further three years, during which certain powers may be exercised.

Cleaning

Water Restrictions

Due to current Water Restrictions PLEASE DO NOT USE WATER to clean the outside of your house/driveway. You can find more information on Water Restrictions here.

Personal safety while cleaning up
  • Wear rubber gloves, sturdy footwear, long-sleeved top and trousers
  • Wear a face mask (such as a blue surgical mask used to protect against COVID-19)
  • Cover any cuts and grazes you may have to avoid them becoming infected
  • Ensure you have a shovel to remove any contaminated material

Te Whatu Ora have produced a helpful information sheet on returning home after a flood.

Hygiene is important

There are gastro symptoms presenting in the community, this is likely due to contaminated flood waters including the residual silt on the ground. You can find helpful information on how to stay well and maintain hygiene when cleaning your flood damaged property and items here.

Need help cleaning up?

You can connect with volunteers via the Facebook group @Volunteering Central Hawke's Bay.

 
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