As at 4pm today Napier flood recovery assessment teams have completed 225 assessments of impacted houses and properties.

"Of those 225 assessments, 30 houses are not habitable, 18 of them on or around Napier Hill. 13 of the 30 uninhabitable houses are significantly damaged, 11 on or around Napier Hill and 2 in Marewa," Fire and Emergency Hawkes Bay Area Manager Ken Cooper says.

Residents are evacuating to welfare centres or to friends or families.

"After completing the initial overall assessment of the impacted areas, our multi-agency teams of Urban Search and Rescue and Napier City Council engineers are continuing with more indepth assessments of properties," says Ken Cooper.

"Multi-agency teams also continue to check people’s welfare and wellbeing in the most severely impacted suburbs of Maraenui, Marewa and Pirimai and to coordinate support to affected residents.

"We are working with Kainga Ora to check their tenants living in impacted areas."

"I would like to thank everyone supporting the recovery effort over the last couple of days - especially personnel and volunteers from Red Cross, Civil Defence, Fire and Emergency, Urban Search and Rescue, Napier City Council, NZ Defence Force and Hawkes Bay DHB," Ken Cooper says.

Impacted residents seeking assistance can call 0800 422 923 or visit www.hbemergency.govt.nz and www.napier.govt.nz

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