'At saturation point': Road wreckage fears in Central Hawke's Bay as severe weather looms

Tourere Road in Central Hawke's Bay was blocked by a slip after Wednesday's heavy rain. Photo / Supplied

Severe weather forecast for Friday is expected to cause slips and closures to Central Hawke's Bay roads and could contribute to a roading repair bill now expected to be triple the district's annual roading budget.

The Central Hawke's Bay District Council's annual roading budget is $12 million but a second severe weather warning this week also contained a warning for residents to prepare for more road damage and closures.

The council's release was accompanied by the dire news that repairs were estimated to cost between $25m and $40m - up to three times the roading budget.

Severe (orange) weather warnings are in place with heavy rain expected overnight into Friday, which could compound damage from an unrelenting series of heavy rainfall, strong winds, and earthquake tremors over the past three months, the council said.

There are already 35 major slips across Central Hawke's Bay's roading network, and the ground was "at saturation point".

Cooks Tooth Road in Central Hawke's Bay is under repair after slips caused by recent heavy rain. Photo / Supplied.

The council has warned residents that existing major damage across the roading networks could dramatically worsen over the next two days.

MetService was forecasting heavy rain for late Thursday and into Friday, with a risk of surface flooding, rising rivers and hazardous driving conditions.

The damage across the district's roading network has been described as on a scale at least two to three times greater than the 2011 Pourerere storm event.

In that event, a state of emergency was declared and more than $11m of damage was caused to the roads.

The current situation will only worsen in the coming bad weather, the council said.

"This level of damage and impact from recent wet weather is the worst state our roads have been in for decades," Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Alex Walker said.

The council was planning to urgently explore its options, including seeking funding from Waka Kotahi, she said.

"The scale of what we are now experiencing across our rural road network, especially on the coast, is huge. This isn't going to be a quick or cheap fix and we have families, communities, farms and businesses who could be majorly affected," Walker said.

Residents on roads that are vulnerable to being cut off, for example Cooks Tooth Road and Wimbledon Road, are being strongly encouraged to prepare and stock up in case they are isolated by road closures.

People are encouraged not to attempt to cross major slips due to risk of further collapse, and to contact the council urgently on (06) 857 8060.