Supplied
Marcus Shenker and Harri Jensen's home in Westport was flooded for the second time in three years.
Roche said the town’s recovery would take months, but tradespeople from out of town had already moved in to help local contractors with repair jobs.
All district council staff were given Friday afternoon off to rest after their mammoth effort since the floods, she said. There had been $200,000 in public donations to the Buller Mayoral Relief Fund.
The free rubbish collection service had been extended until Sunday The NZ Defence Force said its personnel had removed more than 1000 tonnes of flood-related waste from Westport homes so far.