Rural areas in the Whakatāne district have been resilient following Cyclone Cook. Multiple areas are under a boil water notice due to the risk of contamination. In Taneatua and other towns, water tanks and porta-loos have also been provided for the residents by the local council.
This is the reality for rural towns in the Whakatāne District since the floods.
Local Taneatua resident Tame Iti says, “This is the effects of bad weather but what we shouldn't do is put blame on others like the council in my opinion you see families, sub-tribes the community working together, the area we wanted help with regarding clean water.”
Seif Mgiedmini was in Taneatua during both cyclones. He says they were prepared however after the cyclones finding clean water was hard.
Mguiedmini says, “We didn't have water for like a day and a half I think and well without the people around us the community it would have been a lot harder I think.”
Roads remain closed in the region and in other parts some homes are still without power.
Iti says, “Almost, 24 hours the power was out we had to tell our families if they had meat in their freezers to wrap new paper around them so they won't defrost those precautions but here we have the water tanks but if the power is out our water is also out.”
Boil water notices will remain in the region for some time while locals try and find some normality.