Fire and Emergency is sending Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) crews into Hawkes Bay to bolster firefighters already working hard on the ground.

Three teams of six USAR specialists arrived in the district yesterday and additional teams are due in the district today.

Incident Controller Glen Varcoe says USAR teams bring specialised drone capabilities, and technical rescue teams with the geotechnical expertise needed to navigate areas which are dangerously affected by floods and slips.

Mr Varcoe says the main focus is responding to incidents in areas which are currently flooded.

"We’ve been working closely with other agencies such as Civil Defence, Police and the Defence Force to evacuate areas and carry out rescues," Mr Varcoe said.

"We have around 180 live incidents right now that we’re working through to determine where people are who still need help.

"There are also new incidents coming in all the time, so we are continuing to focus on identifying the most urgent situations and reaching those people first."

Radio communications are being restored across the district, after they were down on Tuesday.

Mr Varcoe said he was grateful for additional help from other Fire and Emergency teams around the country, especially as many families and homes of the Hawkes Bay crews have been affected personally by the cyclone.

"I appreciate the efforts of all our people under such extraordinary circumstances," he said.

"I’d also like to acknowledge the community who have been pitching in with the evacuations, offering their own vehicles to get vulnerable people out safely over the last couple of days."

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