Thousands of evacuated Edgecumbe residents are in for a grim weekend after warnings it could be days before they can return home to a town swamped in murky floodwater.

A mammoth recovery effort is under way in the cordoned-off Bay of Plenty town after tropical storm Debbie wreaked havoc, causing the Rangitaiki River to burst through a stopbank and forcing the evacuation of 2000 residents on Thursday.

Pumps from across the North Island are expected to arrive in the area and start pumping water out of Edgecumbe and surrounding areas this morning.

But Whakatane District Council said yesterday it could be up to 72 hours before the residents - who are being billeted by family and friends or staying in evacuation centres and motels - could return to their homes as floodwaters continued to rage through the main street.

The scale of devastation is enormous. Aerial pictures show wide stretches of farmland on the Rangitaiki Plains underwater with farmhouses as isolated islands.

Civil Defence controller Paula Chapman said the council would allow people to return to their homes once the situation had been properly assessed and floodwaters and contamination risks controlled.

Police cordons remain in place around the town throughout the day and night, to help keep homes and property safe.

"We'd like to reassure residents that we have not received any reports of looting since the town was evacuated on Thursday morning," said Bay of Plenty district commander Superintendent Andy McGregor.

"We understand people may have concerns about the security of their homes following the evacuations, but it is important they do not return until it is made clear by the appropriate authorities that it is safe to do so."

Edgecumbe resident John Kearns was putting the finishing touches on his 18-month home renovation when the Rangitaiki River broke its banks and flooded his street.

"I've worked my guts out on that," the truck driver said ruefully yesterday, sitting beside his wife, Marilyn, in a Whakatane motel where they spent the night.

"But we're insured and we're alive ... it doesn't bear thinking about what might have happened if it was night time."

Flood control teams have been working to repair the catastrophic stopbank breach as river levels started dropping.

However time is limited for the town as more deluges are set to drench the country and a tropical cyclone threatens to bear down at Easter.

It may be a fine weekend but it will be short lived. Weather models show northern and central New Zealand are in the firing line for days of heavy rain next week.

Hard on the wet weather's heels is a tropical cyclone, which is starting to form northeast of Vanuatu. It may be headed to our shores by next weekend, with the potential for more significant rain and the risk of further slips and flooding.

Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll said the next storm, remarkably similar to the previous "Tasman Tempest", was due to hit on Tuesday and continue through the middle of the week.

Rural communities remained cut off yesterday with urgent supplies being flown into some 2000 trapped residents, as ground crews worked to restore road access. People in the Ruatoki and the Rangitaiki Plains areas are being advised to boil water.

- NZ Herald