By Adam Ray
It is going to be an anxious weekend for a group of families evacuated from their homes in Whakatane.
A sodden hillside is threatening to give way, and with more rain forecast the Whakatane District Council cannot say if or when the residents can go home.
It was sunny in Whakatane today but the ground is still soaked.
One hillside is so unstable that the council says more earth could fall.
“From the advice we’ve got there’s a high level of risk. We don't want anyone killed or injured,” says Diane Turner, of the Whakatane District Council.
The residents of three properties including six flats have been evacuated.
They are now staying with friends and family in the area.
3 News contacted one homeowner who said she didn't want to talk about the slip threatening her house because it was too painful.
“I would say a state of shock at the moment, their need for information is high,” says Ms Turner.
The council says it's meeting homeowners tomorrow and hopes to give them a report on what caused the slip. But it still doesn’t know when and if they'll be able to return home.
Tons of debris has already been cleared away and the council says the public are also at risk. It has closed a playground across the road from the slip.
Ms Turner says there were concerns about the stability of the hill even before last weekend’s storm.
It had the potential to happen but obviously the rain has exacerbated the problem
The wet weather's predicted to return this weekend, adding to concerns that the slip will move again.
3 News