Coordinating recovery after a 1 in 500 year flood

Tasman District Flood Recovery

In December of 2011, a devastating 1-in-500-year flood hit Nelson. Record high rainfall caused extensive land slips across the district taking out roads, houses, and infrastructure adding huge sediment loads into the swollen rivers and streams. New Zealand’s Ministry of Civil Defence declared a state of emergency over both Tasman District Council and Nelson City Council—a joint population of around 87,000 people.

During this state of emergency, our geotechnical and infrastructure engineers contributed public health and safety assessments and flood response coordination. When the rain abated, we assisted the Council by coordinating initial recovery operations, inspecting damaged assets, and directing road re-openings to restore essential services in time for the holiday season.

Unfortunately, on the holiday break, another severe rainfall event caused further damage and extended the state of emergency. We continued to coordinate and manage the flood response and service recovery.

The Tasman District Council then commissioned us to engineer the flood repairs. We planned and managed repair assessments, monitored repairs, and developed flood-damage cost databases to support insurance claims. We helped the Council reopen roads, rebuild infrastructure, and pull Nelson back together.