Help for the big clean-up: Nelson City Council

While the weather for the rest of the week is looking mixed, there are periods of sunshine, and we know that for those that can safely re-enter their homes the focus will be on cleaning up the damage caused by last week’s flooding.
To assist our community in this cleaning up, we have put in place some facilities to make a horrible job a little easier.

• Skips are being placed in the Nelson City area in places where the worst flood damage occurred, to allow for the disposal of small household items (i.e. toys, clothes, pots, pans, small appliances etc.). This includes the Nile Street, Wood, Tāhunanui and Atawhai areas, and we will monitor demand and place more skips if needed. Skips will be available for two weeks from Monday 22 August. Please only use these skips to dispose of small flood-damaged goods – it’s not the time to clear out your garage, please think of others in your community that have suffered damage to their homes and need the space. Additional options are being considered by Civil Defence for the disposal of larger flood-damaged items such as furniture, whiteware, carpets, and rugs, so please keep an eye out for more information.
• Transfer stations around the region will accept flood-damaged goods for free for a period of two weeks from today, Monday 22 August 2022. This is for goods that were damaged during the weather event during the week 15 to 21 August, and customers will be asked to sign a declaration that the goods were damaged because of the flooding.
• We now have two sites to dispose of soil and mud deposited around homes by flooding. These are: Stoke (corner of Main Road Stoke and Saxton Road – the old Circus set up location) and Miyazu Gardens (the northern end). These sites are for households and can accommodate small trucks and cars with trailers and are open 8 am – 6 pm. There is also an additional site at Vickerman Street (opposite Brusco Nelson) for commercial operators and large vehicles.

We understand the importance of a swift clean-up, but please ensure you contact your insurance provider and take pictures to record damage where possible prior to removing flood-damaged goods.
Civil Defence Group Controller Ian Macdonald said he was heartened by the images of the community helping each other.
“We’ve seen people out with spades, helping to dig out their Neighbour’s driveway and all working together to try and restore Nelson to some sense of normalcy.”
The National Emergency Management Agency has the following advice about cleaning up after flooding:
Clean and dry your house and everything in it. Floodwater can make the air in your home unhealthy. When things get wet for more than two days they usually get mouldy. There may also be germs and bugs in your home after a flood.
Mould may make some people with asthma, allergies or other breathing problems sick.
Talk to your doctor or another medical professional if you have questions about cleaning or working in a home that has been flooded. If there is a large amount of mould, you may want to hire professional help to clean up the mould.
Protect yourself by wearing:

• a certified respirator
• goggles
• gloves
• protective clothing that covers your arms and legs, and
• sturdy footwear.

Throw away anything that was wet with flood water and can’t be cleaned.
Throw away any wooden spoons, plastic utensils, and baby bottle teats and dummies if they have been covered by floodwater. There is no way to safely clean them.
Disinfect metal pans and utensils by boiling them in clean water.

For more information go to: https://getready.govt.nz/en/emergency/floods/