The Invercargill City Council has given its first look at how much last month’s devastating storm cost the organisation, and it is not cheap.
On October 23, severe weather hit the region, toppling trees, damaging properties and leaving thousands without power.
The council revealed in a report for a coming meeting the estimated cost to date to the council was more than $2.39 million — a figure which was expected to change in the coming weeks.
Parks and reserves topped the spending at $930,538, followed by $623,304 for elderly housing and $298,308 for roading.
On the other end of the spectrum was a bill of $500 for car paintwork repair and $215 for an aerial replacement at the cemetery.
Council chief executive Michael Day said the clean-up would take weeks, if not longer.
Day commended the efforts of council staff.
“They put in a huge effort and we really appreciated the support, encouragement, and patience the people of Invercargill and Bluff have shown as we worked to get things back to normal,” he said.
“It’s too soon to tell the final cost of October’s weather event, or when all the damage will be remedied.”
The council report said insurance assessors were inspecting assets, which allowed staff to get quotes for repairs.
It also noted that costs did not include tree replanting, and council did not budget for emergency events.
Southland remained in a state of emergency for two weeks following the storm from October 24 to November 7.
Linesmen worked long hours to restore electricity supply. More than 10,000 properties were initially without power.
City council staff contributed 525 hours of work to Emergency Management Southland over a 15-day period, the report showed.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
