First listen to April 7 2017
Cyclone Cook brought heavy rain and strong wind to some areas of the country but fortunately, it moved out to sea and was not as bad as predicted. However, some areas like Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay experienced the worst of it. Many lost electricity, trees fell and outdoor furniture was damaged.
Edgecumbe, which was flooded in the last storm, had more rain. Most people were allowed back to check their homes and clean up today. Some homes are so badly damaged that they will be demolished. Most are full of mud and smell terrible. Nearly 100 volunteers are helping residents to clean up today. The local Maori marae is coordinating the volunteers and directing them to people who need help.
Homeowners are throwing out rotten food, wet carpets, wet sofas and other damaged household goods. They need help to clean the mud from their homes. The council said that mud should be left in piles by the side of the road and not put down the drains as this could block pipes.
Volunteers are also helping to remove debris which floated in the floods – things like pieces of wood, branches of trees, cardboard boxes, broken umbrellas, old bottles and other rubbish.
Local business people also need help to clean up their properties so that they can open again. They have lost income during the flood and the government is offering some financial assistance.
It will take a long time before the town is back to normal.
Vocabulary
• predicted – expected, the weather office predicts the weather for the next few days
• demolished – completely destroyed, pushed over by a bulldozer
• coordinating – organising in a useful way
• drains – storm water drains which carry rain water from the gutters through pipes and out to sea
• debris – rubbish after an event like a storm or earthquake (note pronunciation – the final ‘s’ is silent)