The city's 150-odd parks and reserves had been hit hard by damages. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel
The damage caused by the storm that swept through Invercargill in October has cost the local council about $2.4 million, but it expects much of that cost will not be able to be recovered through insurance.
A local state of emergency was declared when gales caused widespread damage and thousands of power outages in October, downing trees, power lines and tearing roofs off buildings.
The Invercargill City Council reviewed the initial financial impacts report at a recent meeting, saying it was focused on the recovery efforts in the wake of significant damage.
In a report tabled at the meeting, the council said it was working with insurance assessors to confirm how much coverage it had.
Council chief executive Michael Day said the current cost estimates were expected to change once more assessments were completed and the sale of timber was finalised.
"The amount of damage inflicted on some of our facilities and infrastructure was significant and, unfortunately, completely outside of our control," he said.
"We know how important these spaces are for our community, and it's critical that we undertake substantial repair efforts to get Invercargill and Bluff back to normal.
"The costs associated with undertaking this work are unavoidable, as we need to ensure our community's safety is prioritised."
The council expected much of the cost would not be recoverable from insurance so it would likely to debt-fund the shortfall through a five-year loan, Day said.
The city's 150-odd parks and reserves had been hit hard with an estimated $930,538 price tag that did not include the cost of tree replanting, he said.
Close to $300,000 needed to repair damage to street lights and traffic signals with a further $294,687 earmarked to damaged roofs and windows at council-owned buildings including Splash Palace.
"These facilities are a real lifeline for many people in our community, so we are working as hard and as fast as we can to carry out the repairs they need," Day said.
Between the 23 October, when the wind struck, and 7 November, when the state of emergency was lifted, council employees had tallied up 525 hours of work at Emergency Management Southland.
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