WELLINGTON: Huge swells which battered the Hawkes Bay coastline yesterday, forcing the evacuation of 25 houses, have put homes at increased risk if there are more big waves, says a community group which supports greater protection from ocean surges.
Residents reported yesterday one wave was higher than a house, but by the afternoon the Hastings District Council advised the risk had dropped enough for residents to return home, although people should remain vigilant.
Walk on Water spokesperson Keith Newman said the swells wiped out the natural build-up of shingle which previously protected homes from damage.
The massive waves - which ranged between 3m and 6m high - had created a much "smoother beach" which meant waves would have direct access to the roadway should there be another storm, Mr Newman said.
"If we got two more storms of this magnitude over winter, this community will be at huge risk."
Walk on Water is a Hawkes Bay community group which lobbies the Hawkes Bay Regional Council and the Hastings City Council for greater protection from erosion and large swells.
Another flood could wipe out the lines supplying power down the coast and Haumoana's shopping centre would also be at increased risk, he said.
The group has so far failed to convince the council to put in a series of concrete groynes to stabilise beaches at Haumoana, 10km northeast of Hastings, Te Awanga and Clifton.
It said a groyne at the coastal end of the Tukituki River - which runs through Haumaona - had already stopped erosion in that area, and they are asking for up to seven more.
Mr Newman said the swells which caused the erosion of the beach's natural defences made the construction of the groynes even more urgent.
"It's a matter of national importance now."
Local councils had been unwilling to support the project because of the cost, which they estimated at $18 million, but the group said a groyne field could be built for as little as $3.5 million.
