Auckland flooding: ‘There it goes’ - dramatic video footage shows Riverhead bridge being washed away

Video footage obtained shows the bridge, which spans Mill Flat Rd in Riverhead, collapse under the pressure from the raging water. Photo / TVNZ/1News

“Look at that, I wonder if she’s still in that house?” asks a concerned bystander, watching the floodwaters rise against a bridge in rural Auckland.

“We can’t help from here,” another onlooker responds, ”we’re not going across that bridge…there it goes!”

Video footage obtained by TVNZ shows the bridge, which spans Mill Flat Rd in Riverhead, collapse under the pressure from the raging water.

The bridge quickly washes away downstream, with the debris crashing into large trees and toppling them over.

“Ooh shit”...see you later Mill Flat Rd,” says one of the witnesses.

“They’re going to need the army in for this one ladies and gentlemen.”

Rodney Local Board member Louise Johnston told the Herald this morning that the whole community on Mill Flat Rd and Sunnyside Rd is absolutely terrified.

“It is really scary, there are people who need medications stuck on the other end of the bridge.

“There is widespread chaos. Some people were rescued from Sunnyside Rd due to the damage from the flood. I have never seen anything like it before.

“There will be an alternate route through the adjacent forest but that might take hours and we will need four-wheel drives to travel from there.

“There has been no communication through the night, people’s mobile phone service was out, and power was lost. We have had no alerts on our phones.”

Johnston said there had been flooding 18 months ago, and authorities should have been more prepared.

“The Elton John concert should not have gone ahead, people should not have been out on the road.

The Elton John concert was eventually cancelled, but not until about 11,000 fans had gathered at the Mt Smart venue.

“There are definitely lessons to be learnt from this,” Johnston said.

The dramatic footage comes as a state of emergency was declared in Auckland after widespread flooding on Friday night. Two people have been found dead on Auckland’s North Shore, while two other people are missing.