Queenstown cemetery damaged in severe weather event

About one-third of Queenstown’s cemetery has been affected by this week’s terrible weather, with flood debris displacing immoderate headstones.

On Thursday, Queenstown received a month’s rainfall successful 1 day, with a State of Emergency declared aboriginal Friday morning.

The dense rain, the astir the municipality had received successful 1 time successful 24 years, caused flooding and saw debris strewn crossed the district, including the north-east conception of the cemetery.

In an emailed statement, Queenstown Lakes District Council said portion a important information of the cemetery was affected, determination was nary below-ground disturbance visible.

The assembly said it knew however distressing the harm would beryllium for those with loved ones interred successful the cemetery and that radical mightiness privation to cheque the graves of loved ones.

However, the assembly asked radical enactment away, some for their ain information and to assistance its restoration planning.

Fencing would beryllium erected astir the affected country and erstwhile that was up the remainder of the cemetery would beryllium reopened.

The cemetery had some humanities and modern graves and the full country was antecedently mapped successful GIS, truthful the assembly has close records of burial sites.

Parks serviceman Tarsy Koentges said the assembly was reaching retired to affected families and enactment to repair the harm would beryllium carried retired arsenic sensitively arsenic possible.

“We realise radical would similar to spot contiguous enactment to wide the debris from the cemetery, but the crushed is inactive saturated, and we request to fto it drain further. Before clean-up works tin begin, the tract volition request to beryllium blessed.”

“We request clip for taste observations and to program restoration of the cemetery precise carefully. We cognize this is truly distressing and convey everyone for their patience.”