-
Waves in Haumoana - Source: ONE News -
Watch Video
-
Related
High tide passed without incident on the Hawke's Bay coast early on Tuesday, but a coastal protection group says something needs to be done quickly to protect houses from big sea swells at Haumoana Beach.
The swells forced the evacuation of 25 homes at the beach on Monday and have put local communities at increased risk if there are extra floods.
Walk on Water, a Hawke's Bay community group which lobbies Hawke's Bay Regional Council and the Hastings City Council for greater protection from beach erosion and large swells, says the council should build a series of groynes to stabilise the beaches.
The swells wiped out the natural build up of shingle which had previously protected homes from damage, Walk on Water spokesman Keith Newman says.
The massive waves - which ranged between three and six metres - have created a much "smoother beach" which means waves will have direct access to the roadway should there be another storm, Newman says.
Waves of about 6.5 metres at high tide crashed onto houses at Haumoana Beach on Sunday night. Early on Monday evening the swells were still heavy but waves had reduced to about two to three metres.
"If we got two more storms of this magnitude over winter this community will be at huge risk," says Newman
He says another flood could wipe out the lines which supply power all the way down the coast and Haumoana's shopping centre will also be at increased risk.
The group has so far been unsucessful in lobbying the coucil to put in a series of concrete groynes, which will stabilise beaches at Haumoana, 10km north east of Hastings, Te Awanga and Clifton and prevent erosion.
It claims a groyne on the coastal end of the Tukituki River - which runs through Haumaona - has already stopped erosion in that area and they want up to seven more.
"It's a matter of national importance now," he says.
So far local councils have been unwilling to support the project because of the cost, which they put at $18 million.
Walk on Water disputes the councils' estimates and says a groyne field could be put in for under $7m and maybe as low as $3.5m.
Residents express frustration
One resident has told ONE News of his frustration at emergency
services.
Kevin Ambler, whose beachfront property was badly affected by the
big waves, says it was not until the worst of the surge was over,
that police stepped in.
He says they did not evacuate as no one told them about it.
"The police, the council, they only came out yesterday morning and told us to evacuate and that's when I said to them 'well where were you last night'," Ambler says.
He says by the time they were told to evacuate the worst of the surge has passed.
Latest NZ News Video
-
ONE News Minute 9am update: May 26 (1:00)
-
Kids cough up $14m for Government (1:50)
-
Education ministry 'barbaric' (1:55)
