Napier Flood Response 2020

WSP in Napier assisted the Napier City Council and the Earthquake Commision (EQC) after the city was hit by its wettest day since 1963, causing floods and landslips.

Location

Napier, New Zealand

Client

Napier City Council / Earthquake Commission (EQC)

Project Value

$400k

Project Status

Start Date: November 2020. Estimated Completion Date: February 2021

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

On Monday 9 November 2020, torrential rain saturated Napier. Napier received 242.4mm of rain in 24 hours –its wettest day since 1963 and second-highest ever. The downpour turned streets into rivers resulting in people having to evacuate, landslips, people trapped in cars and more than 3000 homes without power. A state of emergency was declared.

WSP in Napier responded with structural and geotechnical resources assisting Napier City Council and the Earthquake Commission (EQC) with response and recovery efforts. WSP used both local and national resources over the following two months to inspect and assess damage from this event. This is an excellent example of teamwork, responsiveness and collaboration.

Drone footage was captured within 24 hours of the event and was used to support structural assessments and EQC evaluations.

CLIENT BRIEF/PROJECT CHALLENGES

Challenges were to efficiently evaluate the affected sites to enable prompt reporting to EQC, and ultimately quick response to the local area.

OUR SOLUTION

Utilising our local knowledge of the area and national resource to deliver to the project's very tight timeframes.

OUTCOME/CLIENT BENEFITS

Client was seen as responsive to the needs of their constituents, and stakeholders are able to quickly fix the problem.

LIST OF PRIMARY SERVICES

Geotechnical assessment for insurance payout purposes.

KEY FACTS

On Monday 9 November 2020 torrential rain saturated Napier. Napier received 242.4mm of rain in 24 hours –its wettest day since 1963 and second-highest ever. The downpour turned streets into rivers resulting in people having to evacuate, landslips, trapped people in cars and more than 3,000 homes without power. A state of emergency was declared.