A South Dunedin resident hopes last week’s floods will put a buyout of flood-prone homes back on the city council’s agenda.
The mop-up has begun in Otago, with states of emergency lifting in Dunedin and Clutha yesterday, after massive downpours sent floodwaters rushing through homes and garages, and slips sliding across the region.
In St Kilda, Ria Stout’s home flooded just as it did in 2015 – throughout her master bedroom, bathroom, laundry, kitchen and garage.
She and her partner are staying with whānau, and waiting to sort out the house until her insurance company has assessed it: she was on its “urgent” list.
But her worries extended beyond the immediate clean up.
Last year, Dunedin City Council looked at buying some homes in low lying areas as part of its climate adaptation strategy.
Dunedin mayor Jules Radich told Morning Report today the government didn’t favour the scheme and there was no plan in place at the moment for buyouts.
Buyout plan ‘didn’t find favour’ with government
Radich said the council discussed the buyout idea with the government less than a year ago.
“We did come up with a scheme for buying out properties, and changing I suppose the look and feel for South Dunedin, but that didn’t find favour. It’s quite an expensive opposition.”
He said his number one aim was to get more infrastructure into South Dunedin to protect the properties there.
“The infrastructure we have got has been tuned up and it worked really well. Unfortunately, it’s insufficient and we need more.”
Stout said earlier she hoped the council would press on with its plan, and that her home would be on the list.
“This house is just going to be always a target, it’s on a lower lying part of … this whole area, on a corner section, so it gets everything coming at us,” she said.
“This is a hot spot, right here.”
She could not sell it to anyone else, she said – it would be like “robbing” them.
“As much as I love living here, no one’s going to buy my house, and I consciously couldn’t sell it to somebody, knowing that it’s going to flood.
“How could you? … It’s flooded twice, it’s probably going to flood again – could be the big one next time.”
It would probably be hard to get new insurance anyway, Stout said.
She told Morning Report she hoped the council would take action to help residents rather than seeking further consultation.
Meanwhile, Stout had found some perspective after a run on the beach to deal with some of the “flood of emotions” that had hit as the water did.
“I’m okay, my kids are okay, my partner’s okay, we’re okay. We’ve still got a roof over our heads.”
Across the road, Peter van Welie had taken a ride on his Harley Davidson to shake off a tough few days.
Sodden belongings lined his front fence, as he had spent the weekend clearing out the back of his house in which three rooms flooded.
“Anxiety’s been pretty high, and you’re kinda throwing out your kids’ personal s**t, it’s a bit sad and heartbreaking,” he said.
But while Stout and van Welie were feeling lucky to have a roof over their heads, not everyone had a place to go.
Nearby, Mo Nicow is struggling, facing six months out of his house while it’s fixed up – the same length of time he was forced out when it flooded in 2015.
When RNZ visited yesterday, Nicow was finishing up moving everything out of his house. Some was to be stored elsewhere, while other belongings went straight to a skip bin.
He was staying with his brother for now, but it was not a long-term solution, with his teenage nephew sleeping on the floor to give up his bed.
“Last night I was looking for a rental place, I couldn’t find anything. There’s nothing available.”
He lived alone, and it was hard to find a one bedroom rental, he said.
rnz.co.nz
