Volunteer firefighters deliver medication to a Far North resident cut off by floodwaters on Tuesday. Photo / Supplied
Volunteer firefighters deliver medication to a Far North resident cut off by floodwaters on Tuesday. Photo / Supplied
Volunteer firefighters braved a raging, swollen river to deliver vital medication to a resident trapped by driving rain lashing the Far North.
A heavy rain warning and strong wind watch was in place for Northland for much of Tuesday, prompting some schools to close due to the risk of flooding.
Fire and Emergency NZ Whāngārei Kaipara area manager Brad Mosby said Northland District Health Board requested help to deliver treatment to a renal patient on Matangirau School Rd near Whangaroa at about 9.30am.
The river had flooded part of their driveway, which meant the whānau member couldn't make the trip to Kawakawa hospital for dialysis treatment, he said.
The medication was picked up from hospital and dropped off by four volunteer firefighters in two RIBs [rigid inflatable boats].
The volunteers from Te Kopuru, had been on standby at Kawakawa fire station in case of emergencies caused by the bad weather, Mosby said.
"Because of the swollen river they couldn't get that person across to the hospital. They tried to get a four-wheel drive in there but after assessing the situation decided it was not safe.
Whangarei Kaipara area manager Brad Mosby (centre) with Te Kopuru volunteer firefighters David Milich and Ana Searle who were involved in getting vital medicine to a Far North resident.
"It was a challenging operation; we assessed the situation, and we had safety processes in place."
MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said the stormy weather was caused by a deep low with moist north-easterlies bringing a band of heavy rain to parts of Northland from Monday night until around midday on Tuesday.
The eastern areas of the Far North copped between 50mm to 80mm of rain, including the Bay of Islands, Moerewa, Mangonui, Whangaroa, Kāeo and Kaikohe.
A thin coastal strip from Ngunguru to Cape Brett saw 40-50mm of rain, and Whāngārei received about 30mm, Griffiths said.
The Kaeo river was raging following heavy rain, but did not flood the main road through town. Photo / Jenny Ling
Northland Civil Defence spokesman Murray Soljak said councils, roading contractors, NZ Transport Agency, Fire and Emergency NZ and police met in Whāngārei on Tuesday morning to prepare for the bad weather.
Soljak said there were no major incidents and no homes were evacuated.
In Kāeo, the river had burst its banks but did not flood the main road, State Highway 10.
But people are "very on guard" due to recent weather events, which include a one-in-500 year storm on July 17 and 18 which saw 200mm of rain dumped mainly in Whāngārei and Moerewa.
Many paddocks around Kaeo were flooded following heavy rain. Photo / Jenny Ling
"The element of concern was how saturated ground conditions in Northland were already," Soljak said.
"People are in a heightened state of alert as to what might happen but by and large, we got through it without anything happening."
Floodwaters were seen creeping up out the back of the Kaeo fire station. Photo / Jenny Ling
Bay of Islands College and Kawakawa Primary School closed at midday due to the weather and threat of flooding. Kāeo Primary School and Whangaroa College also closed early.
