The mayor of Hastings says locals have faced an awful wait for certainty in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The Government revealed today that it'll join councils to fund voluntary buyouts of homes that were hit hard by severe flooding.

That applies to Category 3 properties —where the risk from future severe weather is too great— estimated to be about 700 properties nationwide.

There are up to 10-thousand Category 2 properties, which will need flood protection and resilience measures.

Sandra Hazlehurst told Jack Tame that it's been a very stressful time for the community.

She says that the option of voluntary buyout is going to reassure people.

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