Hundreds of NZDF personnel have been responding to Hawke's Bay. Photo: RNZ / Phil Pennington
Defence personnel are standing by to help with evacuations if needed in Hawke's Bay as more bad weather slams the already sodden region.
Hundreds of soldiers are in the region helping deliver supplies to isolated communities and navigating badly damaged roads in heavy vehicles.
Lieutenant Colonel Mike Nochete commanded the defence team that recovered bodies from the Whakaari/White Island eruption in 2019 that killed 22 people, and is leading the NZDF's East Coast cyclone response.
This mission is even more complicated, Nochete said.
"I think to compare it, the scale of devastation and the complexity around the response is far greater and the immediate need for life-saving aid is a lot more, if that makes sense."
The Esk Valley has been badly flooded. Photo: Supplied / NZDF
About 700 NZDF members have responded to Cyclone Gabrielle and Nochete has approximately 300 people under his direct command.
"I coordinate with the Navy and Air Force assets so any one time within the region we're looking from 300 upwards to 470."
NZDF troops have been helping with recent weather events around the country. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Defence Force
Today, the forecast heavy rain for already soaked regions is at the top of his agenda.
"I guess the immediate need right now is looking at the additional rainfall that has been forecast."
An evacuation order was issued earlier today for people in the Esk Valley ahead of the heavy rain.
"We are just pre-positioning for any other regions where the Emergency Management Agency decide that they need to proactively move people."
The NZDF has large trucks and also helicopters at their disposal to help.
"This is probably the most flying hours that the NHL 90 (helicopter) fleet has sustained in a very short period. So we come up against maintenance issues and crew fatigue."
NZDF crews are clearing some areas with excavators when they need to and helping create bypasses around obstructions.
"But what we're finding in most occasions is that the local communities have banded together and they are clearing the roads themselves."
Conditions were "eerie" when they first responded, Nochete said.
"Driving through Napier was not the Napier that I know. There's no power. There were candles in windows.
"The level of silt and debris that was around the places, you know, some of that you wouldn't expect to see in New Zealand.
"I think that ... the cumulative effects of physical and psychological stress that the community is facing is really hard to explain."
What has consistently impressed is the community effort, he said.
"That is probably the greatest story here is the social cohesion that we are seeing with communities, local businesses, getting out there, cleaning the roads, clearing the silt."
Mental health is also going to be an ongoing issue for those involved in rescue and recovery efforts.
"We've had soldiers from our reserve battalion who responded in the early hours of the cyclone where they recovered people, and for some of them, it's more the people they weren't able to get to when they saw vehicles floating past them ... and that, you know, just the thought in the back of the mind of them feeling like they hadn't done enough.
"From an organizational perspective, we have our own psychologists and chaplains that are there to look after them.
"But I think the wider community, I'm not sure how they're going to mobilize enough social support to really work through that, that social or psychological harm that they're facing."
New National Emergency Management Agency advice
- Heavy rain could cause further flooding, landslides, and damage to roads in regions impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.
- Put safety first. Act quickly if you see rising water do not wait for official warnings. Head for higher ground and stay away from floodwater.
- Have grab bags ready with: medications, snacks, water, torches, pet food, and baby formula (if needed) in case you need to evacuate.
- Plan where you will go if you have to evacuate
- Ensure that you have enough food, water, and other essential supplies to last for several days.
- Stay up to date with the latest information from MetService and your local Civil Defence Emergency Management Group.
- Wear protective clothing when cleaning flood water and mud including: mask, goggles, gloves, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, and gumboots or work shoes.