Flooding solutions emerging for Flockton

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John Key Visits Flood Affected Families In Christchurch

I’ve been to a lot of meetings on flooding in the past year.  The new Council may have been slow to pick up the ball but they are now running strong.  Tonight’s Flockton Basin/Dudley Creek Flooding Taskforce meeting presented a solution to the community that received significant support from the 200+ who attended.

The solution that will be put to Councillors on Thursday is to order a pipe that could arrive in six weeks and construct a new Tay Street Drain Pump Station.  Flooding would be diverted to the Cranford Basin.  It’s only a partial solution but it could be built in three months and be making a significant difference to reducing flooding for many residents.  They would also look at bunding and other options for homes that modelling indicates would still flood.

Council would simultaneously begin work on the longer term solution (Option 1 or Option 2 as previously outlined by Council to the community that will take 2-3 years to construct).

One bloke summed it up best when he said “It’s a no-brainer: get on and build the Tay St Drain & then move on to the permanent options” – a statement that received a strong round of applause.   That should be a clear message to the five City Councillors present.

There are still a few pieced of the puzzle missing for a complete solution – Government providing temporary accommodation assistance and/or temporary villages, and buy-out offers for the most seriously affected.  The Government needs to come to the party and Labour has offered by-partisan support for this.

And there are still issues around EQC/insurance and consents being granted or insurance companies wanting to build or repair floor levels for a 1 in 50 year flood event rather than the 1 in 200.  The 1 in 200 floor levels will likely be in the new District Plan when that is operative in 6-12 months.

The City Council should be congratulated.  They are undertaking a massive job.  Residents feel listened to.  They are receiving accurate information and honest answers.  People left the meeting with hope of a pathway forward for Flockton.

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