Vol. 81/No. 23 June 12, 2017
New Zealand flood disaster is result of capitalist rule
A wall of water pushed houses off their foundations, washed away cars, trapped pets, and flooded the supermarket, doctor’s clinic and shopping mall.
Government officials told the 1,600 residents to leave. Many went on foot, with minutes to spare, taking only the clothes they were wearing. While the local governing council organized a few buses, official advice was to “self-evacuate.”
Water continued to flow into the town until 11 p.m. the following night before the breach was sealed. Houses remained flooded for days.
Sixteen houses are beyond repair and will be demolished while some 250 are so damaged they need to be stripped down to the frame before being rebuilt.
Much of the surrounding farmland was flooded. Over 3,500 dairy cows had to be moved, animal feed was destroyed and milk dumped. The local Fonterra dairy factory, a large employer in the town, was closed for several days.
Edgecumbe residents had been warning of such a disaster for decades. The town is built on the flood plain of the river, much of which is below sea level. In 1987 a large earthquake sank part of the town further so that when the river floods it runs above the level of the town. Earth stopbanks (levees) follow the river for much of its course but for 50 yards alongside the town’s center they drop down and a six-inch thick concrete wall — now gone — was all that held the river back.
At a public meeting on April 8 Tony Bonne, mayor of the nearby town of Whakatane, said that the rain was the problem and “I can’t guarantee to protect people from massive weather bombs.”
“The council noted the skinny little concrete wall had cracks in it in 2004,” Raewyn Tulloch said from the floor. “Obviously they’ve done nothing about it. Many lives are going to be devastated.”
Graeme Bourk, a plumber and member of the local elected community board, and his wife Gayle, a retired pharmacy assistant, were among a group of displaced residents Communist League members met at a church hall here.
People were angry that the floodwall was not upgraded after the 2004 floods as the regional council promised, and that Trustpower bosses, who run a dam upriver from the town, allowed river flow to rise nearly sixfold for 24 hours before the flood. Trustpower should have spilled the dam well before the storm so it could contain the rainfall, they said.
Trustpower is a privately owned for-profit energy and internet company, using the dam to generate electricity.
After the disaster company and government spokespeople claimed they didn’t do anything wrong. “Tough decisions were made and our data shows that these have paid off,” Bay of Plenty Regional Council Flood Manager Peter Blackwood said.
This is “exactly what happened in 2004: poor information, poor flood management protocols between the regional council and Trustpower. Result: disaster,” Colin Holmes, former mayor of Whakatane, told the press.
“They should wake up and stop listening to the rich and listen to the poor,” said Rosemary Lowe.
Many who have lost all their possessions do not have insurance or are underinsured, residents told us. Mountains of ruined furniture, appliances and clothing had to be removed and dumped. “I felt like my whole private life was on the road,” Gayle Bourk said.
Numerous acts of working class solidarity have marked the aftermath of the flood — from locals cruising the town in boats rescuing people and pets to those putting up relatives and friends to donations of skilled labor, money and goods. “We just had a truckload of tissues, toilet paper and nappies come in this morning,” said Gayle Bourk.
A key role has been played by several local marae (Maori community centers) that immediately began organizing accommodation and food for displaced residents and volunteers.
The government has announced an inquiry into the breaching of the floodwall.
Graeme Bourk told us that residents have begun organizing their own meetings to discuss people’s questions and plan what to do. They are considering a class action lawsuit against the regional council and Trustpower over the floods.
“We’re not finished yet — we’re fighters,” he said.
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