Hawke’s Bay and the east coast were some of the worst hit areas in Cyclone Gabrielle in February.
Hawke’s Bay’s Civil Defence response to Cyclone Gabrielle has come to an end, 77 days after it was first activated.
Group controller Ian Macdonald said the severity of the storm was unprecedented and the response was the most complex and large-scale ever mounted in Hawke’s Bay.
But Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said there has been a “deathly silence” from government and officials on whether rebuilding can start in places like Esk Valley.
“Our community is incredibly frustrated… So we are beginning to lose patience with the process and communication around what’s going to happen in that rebuild space,” Wise told Checkpoint.
More than a month ago on 22 March, Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson said the government should have details on which weather-hit areas were high risk within three weeks, and could then make decisions about rebuilding.
Credit: radionz.co.nz
