Nelson residents wait for answers on flood-hit houses

Some people in flood-torn Nelson have been told their homes are unliveable with hundreds of homes still awaiting assessments.

The city remains in a state of emergency and is facing a monumental clean-up ahead.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is in Nelson today to survey the damage.

Nine properties have been red stickered so far. More than 500 houses have been evacuated since Thursday because of flooding and slip damage.

Andrea Warn, Ward Carter and their two children are holed up in a motel.

They are trying to stay positive, despite their beloved home being red stickered yesterday due to landslips and rockfall threatening their property.

Warn said they would be devastated if they never returned.

“You get quite positive and you muck in and you do the mahi and you think ‘yep we’re going to get through this’.

“Then the boys show up and red sticker your house and it’s back to feeling like zero again.”

Her partner Ward Carter admits the news is a gut punch.

He said it was going to take small steps to get them back to where they belonged.

“Until we get some definitive answers out of the assessors about some sort of timeline, each day is like ‘oh well what’s going to happen today’.

“Our only real immediate concern is where are we living for the next two, three, four, five weeks.”

Nelson flood damage in Atawhai as seen on 19 August 2022.
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver

More than 100 locals affected by the floods had similar questions at yesterday’s public meeting at Nelson’s Saxton Stadium.

One woman who lives in Rai Valley had not been home since Wednesday morning and asked officials how she was meant to get to work and earn a living with State Highway 6 closed.

“When will there be access to Rai Valley and if State Highway 6 is to be closed for the forseeable future, for people like me who commute, what does that mean for jobs and life in general?”

No Waka Kotahi representatives were present at the meeting.

Her partner Taine Pakipaki said time was running out for the family.

At the meeting, the desperate situation for some was palpable and heartwrenching.

One man pleaded to officials and patrons for help.

Local volunteer Murray Leaner provided free sausages and bread to people after the meeting.

He said getting the necessities was often forgotten when dealing with diasters.

“Often people forget to just keep living their lives and to keep on top of their eating,” he said.

“If we can throw some barbecue at them, then all the better, and it does make a difference to their mood.”

Nelson’s mayor Rachel Reese, at the meeting, lauded the community who have stepped up to support those displaced.

“This past week has been a really challenging week for all of us,” she said.

“I do want to acknowledge the disruption and the anxiety and the communities around the region who stepped up.”