The order to evacuate Edgecumbe came around 8.30am - Whakatane District Council officials ordering the 2000 residents to leave for higher ground.
The Rangitaiki River - which flows through the centre of the Bay of Plenty town and under State Highway 2 - has now broken its banks - causing widespread flooding in the area.
One resident described how a concrete wall had "exploded" - broken apart by the force of the rising water levels.
Police and fire staff went door to door and telling people to get out - as water ran through the heart of the township.
Resident Fred Mansell was one of those evacuate: