Huge mop-up starts

Press, 31 January 1984, Page 1

Huge mop-up starts

PA Invercargill Frustration grew among flooded-out Southland householders yesterday as stringent restrictions prevented them from cleaning up their sodden homes because of the health risk from polluted water and the need for safety checks. Although householders and business staff accompanied inspectors into selected streets in parts of the flooded areas yesterday, the reoccupation ban for most of about 2000 people remained in force.

The Civil Defence Minister, Mr Highet, said yester-

day in Wellington that two residential streets had been cleared by health authorities, but this would account for only “a small portion” of evacuees. Others were likely to have considerable delays because of the wait for flood-waters to recede and the need to check houses for health and safety. Flooding at the airport dropped 300 mm during Sunday night, and the Civil Defence authorities said yesterday water levels in the flooded areas had dropped to normal tidal levels at the Estuary. This

enabled breaches in the western stopbanks of the Waihopai River to be controlled by closing at hightide and reopening at lowtide. The acting Civil Defence controller, Cr J. C. Muir, said many people affected by the flooding had become frustrated that they could not gain access to clean vp their homes. “It was very difficult to get the message across that our over-all concern is for the total population — that their health is protected,” he said.

The police had had a trying day dealing with people who wanted to go into their homes, Sergeant Paul Brown said last evening. “There was probably a misunderstanding or a lack of communication between inspectors and other parts of the organisation,” he said. Some people had the impression that once their houses had been inspected they were allowed to “clean up and move in.” Parts of Prestonville the

industrial area south of Buller Street, more than 200 Collingwood homes, Gladstone and Rosedale areas, industrial areas around Bond and Mersey streets and Otepuni Avenue, have been inspected. A 24-hour counselling service set up to ease strain on flood victims had been run ragged with work, service staff said. Authorities are not predicting when people will be allowed to reoccupy their homes. The airport is expected to be the last area to clear, and this could take two to three weeks.