The approximately $300,000 cost of this month’s flooding in Southland could use most of the Southland District Council’s emergency event budget, strategic roading manager Hartley Hare says.

The council is applying to Waka Katohi New Zealand Transport Agency for 51% of the damage repair bill.

Mr Hare said the council can fund the remaining 49% of the costs but there would be nothing left for another emergency.

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“I hope there won’t be another event of this scale. We would have to see how to find the additional funding. But at this stage, we can manage, on the assumption we get the funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency,” he said.

Flooding and slips damaged road and farming infrastructure in Southland on January 2, after a wet and wild storm doused New Year holiday plans for many people around New Zealand.

Mr Hare said the council’s estimate at the time was $300,000 damage and that still stood.

“There is quite a lot of repair work, regrading and remetalling gravel roads, particularly around Waikaia. We do have a few roads that require a bit more significant repair. Piano Flat in particular does need quite a bit of reshaping,” he said.

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Most of the damage was in Northern Southland, around Waikaia and Nokomai, but some of the more minor repairs had already been completed, Mr Hare said.

More repairs should be completed over the next two to three weeks and some repairs may take a little more time.

“It is difficult to gauge. It just depends on other priorities around the network,” Mr Hare said.