Posts by Hebe
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The government/Cera's lack of decision-making on the red zone is the reason for the flooding in Kaiapoi. Why then is the region's red zone future still not settled?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/north-canterbury/9993822/Flooding-enrages-Kaiapoi-residents
Specifically this
" [Waimak mayor David] Ayers acknowledged there were ongoing flooding issues in parts of Kaiapoi and Fernside, near Rangiora, but said the council was waiting for the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) to decide what would happen with the red-zone before it could do some of the necessary work.
''We regard it as a high priority matter. I don't think anybody wants to be scared every time it rains.''
Contractors were already working to repair and improve broken drains and pipes where possible, but the council's longer-term plan of using the residential red zone to improve drainage was on hold until the Government gave its approval.
''The sooner we can get an agreement from Cera as to the infrastructure we can put into the red zone the better,'' Ayers said.
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Speaker: Facing the floods, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
It's bloody complicated isn't it? Maybe having vast areas of red zone would have helped more if they were upstream in the Heathcote River and Dudley creek system. Makes sense what you say about building on Marshlands and the Waimak floodplain -- same upstream in the Heathcote, which also has to cope with a lot more runoff from the clay on the Port Hills.
Bring back the Drainage Board!
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Speaker: Facing the floods, in reply to Sacha,
That might work for Flockton basin, but Flockton is only a small part of the problem. The flooding there is intolerable and affects a concentrated area, but the wider problem affects many more -- possibly thousands -- of properties. No-one knows how many because no-one has asked owners since mid 2011.
The ground has done a lot of settling and sinking since then. Over the last six weeks my garage has developed a neat channel effect that sends the water straight down a slope into the garage via the door. That slope didn't exist even six months ago.
I remember seeing a geologist quoted in a Stuff piece in October 2010 that said settling of the land could be expected to continue for at least five years. At that time there was no conception that we would have near 15,000 quakes in 3 1/2 years. I believe a lot of decisions relating to our land were made very early on, with no knowledge that of the land changes that could happen.
Apparently the huge rainfall so far this year has exacerbated the settling process all over town.
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Speaker: Facing the floods, in reply to Michael Ball,
Wow 105mm. You are on the flat?
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Speaker: The secret Christchurch…, in reply to Bart Janssen,
the government should have stepped in and made sure everyone got the insurance that they were owed....
Bart see my post over on James's flood piece: that's the next big chapter in this story.
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Speaker: The secret Christchurch…, in reply to Lilith __,
that tight look
Yes. Tight and tired.
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Speaker: Facing the floods, in reply to Steve Curtis,
That rain gauge is miles from Flockton; it's on the other side of town. Completely different microclimate: rainfall, wind, topography and soil. We had at least 60mm of rain in 12 hours yesterday.
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Speaker: Facing the floods, in reply to Ed Muzik,
. But we need to make it clear that this is about earthquakes, not climate change. The quakes have damaged our rivers, creeks, and the wider drainage network. This is why this should be the domain of the Earthquake Recovery Minister primarily.
Yes. However, there's a conflation of quake-induced changes to land levels and climate change-induced sea level projections in the hazards section of the CCC's draft District Plan, which is out for comment now. Current modelling in the draft plan has the sea rise at half a metre.
The council planners have been told to go back and produce one-metre sea level rise projections. A couple of weeks ago I learned that the council is expected to vote soon -- within the next month -- on which projection to include in the draft plan.
It is expected the one-metre rise will be adopted in the draft plan, which is almost certain to be adopted by the end of the year.
That puts the cat among the proverbial pigeons in relation to liabilities, insurance exposure, building regulations, and the major earthquake-related repairs and rebuilds. Fletchers/ EQR is scheduled to have completed its under $100K residential repair programme by then.
They will be done under the old rules.
The major repairs and rebuilds have yet to ramp up. They will theoretically come under new rules for raised floor levels to cope with the sea level rise. But who will pay the extra cost of complying with building rules relating to climate change?
No-one is saying anything.
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Update: On this morning's dog walk through the squish, we see neighbour Steph and friend glumly unscrewing the gib from the garage wall, removing the pink batts and putting them out to dry, with daughter waterblasting the drive. The mud is thick and sticky nearer the river corner and pastes the road and footpath.
Spilled garbage combines with muck and autumn leaves on footpaths and roads. I'm taking pictures and resolving to go home and start ringing the council for a clean-up crew or two and posting pictures to news outlets.
Then, miraculously, a council-contracted Bobcat arrives, a sucker truck, a scrubber machine and they set to work. Then TV news. The clean-up is finally under way: it didn't happen the last two floods. And The Press has asked to publish this piece of Greg's.
We're finally being taken seriously round here, and that feels somewhat comforting.
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Speaker: Facing the floods, in reply to Gabor Toth,
Thanks sorry! That’s what I meant.
[Fixed it - RB]