P& LRalph Building After the storm

Repairing and rebuilding schools in the wake of a disaster

By Timmi Aplin-Barrett

In early February, the North Island was hit by Cyclone Gabrielle which is the deadliest cyclone in New Zealand since 1968 and the costliest tropical cyclone on record in the Southern Hemisphere.

With damages estimated to be at least $13 billion, Cyclone Gabrielle has impacted everything from homes and private property to schools and public property.

Ministry of Education head of property, Sam Fowler, says Cyclone Gabrielle has caused damage to 200 schools.

“In Tai Tokerau, the property team is working with around 60 schools that have reported damage from Cyclone Gabrielle,” he says.

The damage was widespread and continues to be felt across the region. Sam says in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti, approximately 100 schools reported damage.

He says five schools have significant damage which means they cannot open on site.

The Ministry of Education Property Team is working with those schools to get them up and running and to determine the correct long term property response.

“Most of the school property damage across Te Tai Tokerau came from high winds – trees falling, fences down, shade sails ripped.

“Power outages (mostly from fallen trees) were widespread and long-lasting, leading to major dropouts in cell coverage and internet service for many schools, in the far north particularly,” Sam says.

Sam says the team will be meeting the cost of repair of Ministry owned property so that schools can continue to use their regular property funding for their property priorities.

“If more money is needed, we will work with the schools to understand the full cost of the reinstatement works,” he says.

“We have made available $12,000 to each affected school to help with the immediate clean-up.

“The money is there to help with things like carpet cleaning and drying, repairing broken windows, downpipes and lighting, tree removal and fence repair.”

Each school has a property advisor who will work closely with them if they need guidance around the clean-up, remediation or repair.

They can assist with things from assessing property damage to ensuring schools can receive the funding they need.

The Ministry of Education says it’s important to document the damage so they have a full picture of said damage to provide to the Ministry’s insurance company.

For a list of property staff contact details, visit the Ministry of Education website at: www.education.govt.nz.

Documenting the damage

Schools will need to document photos of the damage, maps of the damaged buildings with description of the damage in each location, and as much information as possible about the source of the damage.

The Ministry also recommends considering what information schools will need for their content’s insurance claim at the same time – essentially, take lots of photos to document the losses.

Before any rebuilding or construction-based repairs can take place, it’s important for schools to follow health and safety guidelines while cleaning up.

The Ministry says to take special care around floodwaters as all floodwater and debris deposited by floodwater will be contaminated.