Eighty-Five Percent of Survey Respondents Impacted By Cyclone

By John Freer

CFM’s survey on Cyclone Gabrielle reveals 85 percent of those who took part, had their access impacted by the cyclone and its aftermath.

Run over the past week, the survey attracted 400 respondents. Several questions were asked relating to personal impact, communications, roading impacts and the effect on business.

During this week information from the survey will be released through CFM local news, our website and Facebook page.

Regarding the personal impacts, of those who responded, 38 percent could not leave their local area for up to five days after the storm.

A further 18 percent were trapped in their local area for more than five days.

Electricity supply being lost meant that 20 percent of those surveyed had no power for more than three days, with only 12 percent indicating no power disruption.

With property damage, the survey results indicate that while the likes of roads were smashed, individual property escaped, only 19 percent of those who completed the survey experienced building damage. When broken down, 6 percent faced property damage valued at more than $5000, 13 percent was less than $5000.

Twenty five percent of respondents did experience damage to land. Significantly 56 percent said they experienced no property or land damage.

Of those who completed the survey 98 percent were residents of the Coromandel Peninsula and Hauraki Plains.