Vote Cathi Barker for Bay of Plenty Regional Council - Western Bay of Plenty Flooding

It’s becoming all too common! Yesterday Residents yet again living near flood-prone waterways in the Bay of Plenty were urged to stay on high alert or even relocate last night as bands of heavy rain roll over the Bay of Plenty region. An orange heavy rain warning was in place for the entire region Wednesday and Thursday with up to 180mm of rain expected. Monster swells were smashing on Bay of Plenty coastlines, where waves have reached 6.4m in Pukehina. MetService said there was a moderate chance the orange warning could be upgraded to red, and warned streams and rivers could rise rapidly. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council said in a statement it had activated its flood room at 9.30am yesterday and was liaising with local councils regarding the impact of the rain across the region’s major schemes: Waioweka-Ōtara Rivers Scheme, Whakatāne-Tauranga Rivers Scheme, Rangitāiki-Tarawera Rivers Scheme, Kaituna Catchment Control Scheme and the Rangitāiki Drainage Scheme. This is why The installation, maintenance and upgrading of Flood protection and Drainage infrastructure is one of the top priorities of my BOPRC campaign Vote Cathi Barker for Bay of Plenty Regional Council Western Bay of Plenty Constituency Authorised by Cathi Barker [email protected]