The road to recovery will likely take years and cost millions of dollars, as Waitomo District residents are still feeling the impact of the extensive flooding event that hit earlier this week.

While parts of the district still remain under water, General Manager Strategy and Environment and local Civil Defence Controller, Alex Bell says it will take quite some time to fully realise the extent of the damage across the district.

“There are many residents who are still coming to terms with the impact of the flooding. And because there are still areas blocked off and inaccessible, it is hard to determine the level of damage our district has suffered.

Waitomo District Council and roading contractors Inframax Construction Ltd and Pinnacles Civil will be busy over the next few weeks undertaking assessments of damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

Alex says although the flood waters are slowly receding, he encourages people to drive to the conditions and to respect the road closures.

“The road closures are in place for everyone’s safety, including our roading contractors. They have been working tirelessly since early Tuesday morning and we appreciate their dedication to keeping our community safe.

“The flooding has caused a lot of slips and left behind a lot of debris and there are also a lot of large vehicles and other heavy machinery on the roads as part of the recovery efforts.”

Roading teams are focused on undertaking assessments and opening-up access to a minimum of one-lane with long-term repairs to follow.

Waitomo Mayor John Robertson noted that repairs are anticipated to cost millions of dollars.

“Over the past few years our roading network has suffered extensively due to several heavy rain events. No sooner have we completed repairs, when we are hit again.”

People are asked to continue to call Council on 0800 932 4357 with any road outage information or if they have any welfare needs.

“Our thoughts are with those residents who are still unable to receive support due to the flooding,” says John.

“Once we get a clearer picture of everything, we will work with other agencies to provide support as needed.”