Heavy rain causing slips has already done about $40 million worth of damage to the district’s roads.
Photo: RNZ / Jake McKee
The rain forecast for Hawke’s Bay has not been as damaging as first feared, but there is concern for coastal areas.
The district’s rural roads had been severely damaged by heavy rain over the past three months.
There were worries further downpours this weekend would cause more slips.
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council Mayor Alex Walker was surveying the area today and said the region was not not out of the woods yet.
“It is absolutely saturated and the hillsides are moving in ways that are unpredictable and when it comes to them moving the roads, that’s what we’re then worried about,” she said. “We’re just asking people to take it easy.”
Walker said anyone heading to some coastal areas could need a four-wheel drive to get through.
This week’s rain had caused even more problems for the district.
Some coastal areas received about 100mm on Thursday night and Friday morning.
About $40 million worth of damage had been done to the district’s roads, and the council was trying to get government funding to help fix them.
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council has a list of roads that are closed on its Facebook page.
It warned people not to try and cross any slips because they were potentially unstable.
It warned motorists to drive carefully saying there may be a substantial increase in the number of potholes in the district due to the heavy rain.
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