Today marks one year since the Edgecumbe floods following heavy rain from the remnants of Cyclone Debbie.
The town was rapidly flooded after the stopbank from the Rangitaiki River burst.
Residents had barely minutes to escape from their homes.
One year on and the Insurance Council says 90 per cent of all 1,080 homes have been fully or partially settled.
Fifteen homes had been red-stickered and a further 250 were flood damaged.
Now, 12 properties, some of which slipped from their foundations along College Rd, have now been removed to make way for the stopbank rebuild.
The properties were purchased by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the land will be used to build a permanent stopbank.
Twisted steel and concrete from the busted stopbank remains onsite until those impacted by the floods consider what to do with it.
An independent Review, headed by Sir Michael Cullen was presented to the council and the public in October last year.
Earlier this month The Council’s Integrated Catchments General Manager, Chris Ingle, said the council was taking a coordinated approach to the recommendations.
"There are 29 recommendations in the Review Report and they cross a wide range of Council functions including different groups like Civil Defence, flood management, monitoring and data gathering, modelling, engineering, and community engagement.
"So we have set up an internal working group so we can coordinate that approach and keep track of the different pieces of work," he says.
The review also found some residents didn't understand the flood risk, and education will be a future focus for the council.
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