Cheree Kinnear on the widespread chaos across Auckland this morning and frustrated travelers at Auckland Airport. Video / Jed Bradley
Two people have died and two are missing after raging floodwaters and slips caused by an unprecedented deluge of rain across Auckland - easily the city’s wettest day on record. A state of emergency remains in place across the region, with Auckland Airport and State Highway 1 partially closed. Elton John’s second Auckland concert has been cancelled as has Monday’s Laneway Festival event.
There is also widespread damage to homes, with many residents evacuated. Several homes in Hillsborough, Massey, Stanley Pt and Northcote Pt have been left teetering on the top of cliff-faces, following dramatic landslides, and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni says some people have lost entire homes.
Up to four people have died - two deaths have been confirmed and two people are unaccounted for, police say. One man was found dead in a flooded culvert in Wairau Valley about 7.30pm and another man was found dead in a flooded carpark on Link Dr, also in Wairau Valley, about 12.30am. Inquiries into both deaths are ongoing, say police.
A man was also swept away by floodwaters in Onewhero about 10.15pm, and has not been found.
Police and other emergency services also responded to a call to a landslide that brought down a house on Shore Rd, Remuera. One person is missing. The Herald understands the missing man’s son, who was also in the house at the time, managed to escape despite being initially trapped by one of his legs. The son, who was near the front door when the landslip occurred, then tried in vain to find his father.
Hanging on the edge: Landslides threaten homes on Colwill Rd, Massey. PICTURE: BRETT PHIBBS
More heavy rain has been falling in Auckland today, as residents survey the damage to their homes and streets - there is widespread chaos across the region. The airport was closed to all flights up until 12pm, when domestic flights resumed. International departures won’t resume until 5pm at the earliest and arrivals won’t start landing until 4am Sunday.
State Highway 1 closed or restricted in eight areas. Officials briefly opened the new Puhoi motorway north of Auckland last night, to rescue stranded motorists.
A number of international flights were diverted to other countries, or returned to their departure point. Air NZ 1 - the direct flight from New York to Auckland - diverted to Hawaii, one of 12 international diversions for the airline. Emirates and American Airlines flights were also diverted.
MetService said a record amount of rain had fallen on Auckland in 24 hours - by 1am, the region had recorded 249mm of rain, smashing the previous 24-hour record of 161.8mm, back in February 1985. And monthly records have also been broken - the wettest January recorded at the Auckland Airport weather station until now was in 1986 with 20cm and the wettest month ever was July 1998 with 30cm. So far this month 32cm of rain has been recorded - a “massive” amount, MetService said.
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Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is on his way to Auckland survey the damage. Sepuloni has been at an evacuation centre in Kelston this morning, and says 50-60 evacuees are on site, after a traumatic night. Some people had lost their homes, she told Newstalk ZB.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has been criticised for acting too slowly in the crisis by residents and several other politicians but defended his actions late last night when speaking to reporters.
Hipkins said he would travel to Auckland on Saturday morning. “When the rain hit, it hit very hard and very fast ... Aucklanders need to brace for the fact there could be more rain,” Hipkins told reporters in Wellington during the early hours of this morning.
More rain is forecast to bucket down today, while Civil Defence warned Aucklanders in flood-prone areas to prepare to evacuate and urged others to stay home as the torrential rain worsened last night, adding people should check on friends and neighbours if it was safe to do so.
Every available Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) crew in Auckland was on deck and responded to more than 2000 calls for help yesterday evening.
A spokesperson for Fenz said they had been “swamped” by calls throughout the day as people became trapped in their cars and houses ”Every fire truck in Auckland is responding to the priority calls,” they said.
Firefighters used jet skis, inflatable rescue craft and kayaks to pluck people to safety.
Police said one person was found dead in Wairau Valley on the North Shore after being notified at about 7.25pm after a body was seen by a member of the public near Target Rd. A source told the Herald the body was found in a flooded culvert, later confirmed by Auckland Emergency Management’s Duty Controller Andrew Clark.
The city was drenched with more than 60mm of rain in just one hour, while parts of Northland and the Coromandel also got more than 100mm of rain in 24 hours.
Houses reportedly moved off their foundations in Rānui, according to Fenz. A resident said houses were “underwater” and photographs from the scene showed river-like streets.
”The damage is going to be really really bad once this rain goes away,” Camphora Rd resident Prashant Roy said.
”The way it’s going, the way it’s raining, maybe by midnight these houses are going to be underwater fully,” he said last night.
Police, FENZ, Search and Rescue and Civil Defence were called to area on Shore Rd, which runs along Hobson Bay and the Orakei Basin.
Many major roads and highways around the city were closed due to flooding. About 18 vehicles were trapped between two slips on SH1 about 3km north of the Johnstones Hill Tunnels near Puhoi.
Residents rescued from Ranui's Urlich Drive. Photo / Hayden Woodward
Flooding blocked several major roads and highways throughout the city. Photo / Dean Purcell
A car trapped in flooding on Auckland's northern motorway as rising water brought traffic going in both directions to a standstill. Photo / Supplied
‘I couldn’t act sooner’: Mayor defends himself as authorities and politicians respond
Local civil defence authorities were meeting during the night to discuss how to respond to the ongoing crisis. A state of emergency was declared at about 9.30pm, Mayor Wayne Brown said.
There were several calls for Brown to have declared a state of emergency earlier in the evening.
Brown defended himself against criticism, including from city councillors and Members of Parliament, telling reporters after 11pm: “I couldn’t act sooner, it was a formal process ... I’ve listened to the professionals in the field.”
He added: “My role isn’t to rush out with buckets. It’s to be here ensuring that the centre is well organised and that we are taking the appropriate steps at the appropriate time, not rushing into them In response to noise outside.
“This is not something that you just respond to because of a clamour by the public.”
A bus stuck in flood water on Auckland's Great North Rd. Photo / Supplied
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Twitter: “I’m pleased an emergency declaration has been made due to flooding in Auckland tonight. All relevant govt agencies are working flat out to help in an extraordinary set of circumstances. The emergency response is underway and the Government is ready to assist as needed.”
Hipkins also said the Beehive Bunker was activated to help with coordination of the emergency response in Auckland.
“I’ve asked for the frequency of public updates to be increased as soon as possible.”
Mayor Wayne Brown signs the declaration for a state of emergency in Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Hipkins told journalists just before 2am it was difficult to gauge how many people had been impacted by the flooding and torrential rain in Auckland.
He said he didn’t know how many people had been injured and likely wouldn’t know until the morning.
“My message to Aucklanders is to be kind to each other and offer support to one another.”
The Prime Minister said he is travelling to Auckland first thing on Saturday morning and will also send up further support.
“Once the sun comes up we’ll know a little bit more about what we’re dealing with and the true extent of the challenge that is ahead for Auckland,” he said.
“When the rain hit, it hit very hard and very fast ... Aucklanders need to brace for the fact there could be more rain.”
Hipkins said the rainfall and flooding were “quite unprecedented”.
The Beehive Bunker is being stood up to help with coordination of the emergency response in Auckland. I’ve asked for the frequency of public updates to be increased as soon as possible.
Senior Government Minister Michael Wood also said on Twitter: “In my patch this is the worst flooding I have ever seen and more may come overnight.”
Wood explained the final call on a formal declaration for a state of emergency sat with Auckland mayor.
The Mt Roskill MP, who is also the Minister of Transport, also instructed staff at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to get back to work after its social media team issued a “final update” at 7.40pm.
“I have seen this and instructed the Agency to re-open their channels urgently,” Wood tweeted.
Residents at French Bay in Auckland watch on after a slip damaged the Coastguard building. Photo / Meg Liptrot
National Party leader Christopher Luxon also said on Twitter: “I’m urging Mayor Wayne Brown to declare a state of emergency for Auckland now. This will give our brilliant emergency response teams the tools they need to respond. High tide hits after midnight and we need a list of evacuation centres for folk to head to.”
Brown had earlier told residents affected by flooding to stay safe and take advice from emergency responders.
”We want to make sure that all residents are kept informed, and emergency services are able to reach those who are most vulnerable and at risk as quickly as possible. Do not put yourself at risk,” Brown said.
Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty said on Twitter shortly after 10pm: “The Mayor of Auckland has declared a state of emergency. NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) can now provide additional support and resources from other regions. I’m continuing to receive live updates from NEMA, liaising with Auckland based MPs and updating the Prime Minister as needed.”
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins (right) and Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty brief reporters at the National Crisis Management Centre. Photo / Azaria Howell
Speaking to reporters in the early hours of Saturday morning from the Beehive, McAnulty said once Mayor Brown declared an emergency, it allowed NEMA to help with the response.
NEMA have sent up personnel and the Defence Force.
”That was his call,” McAnulty said when asked about the timing of Brown declaring the state of emergency.
”We were ready ... there will be a review, there always is. In terms of determining whether that declaration was made early enough, that’s for later,” McAnulty said.
“If the mayor had refused to declare [a state of emergency] and I felt it was warranted, I would have stepped in. When he’s saying ‘I’m looking at it’ you take it at face value,” McAnulty added.
McAnulty told reporters he was first in touch at 4:30pm or 5pm with Brown’s office and had been in contact four of five times before the state of emergency was declared. McAnulty found out about the declaration about 30 minutes before it was made public.
“I’m not going to be drawn on casting judgement on his decision,” he said.
Prime Minister Hipkins also said he expected as much information should be released as quickly as possible.
He said they could look back on the timing of the declaration of a state of emergency in due course. For now, the focus had to be what lay ahead for New Zealand’s biggest city.
Hipkins said he personally didn’t have any communication with Auckland’s mayor.
The Mayor of Auckland has declared a state of emergency. NEMA can now provide additional support and resources from other regions. I’m continuing to receive live updates from NEMA, liaising with Auckland based MPs and updating the Prime Minister as needed /1
After declaring the state of emergency, Brown said in a statement: “This declaration reflects the extent of damage, displacement and disruption caused by this evening’s severe weather event and enables emergency services and response agencies to draw on resources, and enact additional powers, to assist affected Aucklanders.”
Brown said the region has experienced “widespread damage from flooding and torrential rain”, while infrastructure and emergency services alike have been overwhelmed by the impacts of the storm.The state of local emergency comes into force immediately and expires in seven days.
The mayor said he had been “closely monitoring the situation in his office all evening” and signed the declaration immediately following formal advice.
Speaking to journalists, Brown said, “this will be a terrible night for thousands of Aucklanders and their families.”
Auckland Emergency Management opened a Civil Defence Centre at Saint Leonards Road School in Kelston to help people evacuated by flooding.
And a North Shore Civil Defence Centre was moved to Massey University’s Albany Campus in the Sir Neil Walters Lecture Theatre. Residents can enter through Gate 1 of the Massey University East Precinct, Albany Highway SH17.
Clark, the duty controller, said the region is expecting the severe weather to continue until the early hours of Saturday.
”If it is safe to stay home, please do so. If you need to evacuate and can stay with family and friends, please do so in the first instance.
“Please remember to never drive through floodwaters. If you do need to evacuate, please take essential items, like medicines, with you.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Kelston MP Carmel Sepuloni also urged people that have evacuated their homes to go to the school in Kelston.
Defence Force personnel were also called in to help evacuate people.
Flooding at Auckland International Airport. Photo / Supplied
People warned to stay clear of fallen power lines
The flooding across Auckland has also impacted the electricity network with widespread outages, particularly in west Auckland, and lines company Vector is working closely with the emergency services.
“The emergency services have asked us to shut down power in some of the worst hit areas and homes and businesses will remain de-energised until the flooding subsides and we are confident it is safe to restore the power,” Vector said.
The company said flooding has made it difficult for its crews to safely reach some of the outages, including in the Swanson area, and they will be unable to do so until the water has gone.
“We urge everyone to take extreme care, avoid floodwaters and stay well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment, and treat them as live at all times.
“People using medical equipment that relies on electricity should let their retailer know if they are without power. If there is an immediate health threat, they should contact their health provider or call 111.”
Flooding in Auckland on Beach Rd. Photo / Supplied
Auckland Airport’s international terminal was closed due to flooding and at least one flight was cancelled, diverted or rescheduled, leaving huge crowds of stranded passengers waiting for more information.
The airport also had reduced runway operations, causing delays to flights, after an arriving aircraft damaged runway lighting.
Auckland Airport said no international or domestic flights would arrive or depart before noon Saturday.
“Roads at Auckland Airport continue to be impacted by widespread flooding, along with the check-in and arrivals areas of the international terminal,” an airport spokeswoman said.
Hipkins said there were nearly 1000 people stranded at the airport and a lot of other people who were stuck.
Queen St flooded as torrential rain hit the city. Photo / Cherie Howie
Photos and videos showed Queen St flooded with water lapping at the front doors of shops. Supermarkets were also flooded around the city, including a Pak n Save in Glenfield.
Other busy and well-known city roads, including Stanley St in Parnell, were also submerged in floodwater. There was also significant flooding on North Shore streets.
Dramatic video by passengers on a bus on the Northern Busway showed water flooding over the motorway barrier and water quickly filling the cabin.
Several cars were also nearly fully submerged on Beachcroft Ave next to the Onehunga Basin.
Green Party MP Ricardo Menendez March posted to Twitter that he was among those being evacuated.
We’ve just had to evacuate our home as the water was already rising rapidly and coming in aggressively. We found ourselves with someone’s dog for a while before leaving. Thinking of all the locals who have had been affected by today’s floods. Pls follow civil defence advice pic.twitter.com/a9vXptXoFz
Despite advice to stay out of floodwaters, soaked and desperate bystanders were seen attempting to push a car from floodwater blocking southbound traffic on the Northern Motorway.
Some cars appeared to attempt to cross the torrent just south of the Northcote Rd off-ramp.
Flooding across the entire highway between Northcote and Esmonde Rds on State Highway 1 caused extreme delays to traffic.
Police said people should drive to conditions, however, a number of crashes throughout the day caused further issues for travellers.
Waka Kotahi NZ also said State Highway 25A from Kopu-Hikuai was closed until further notice due to instability caused by the heavy rain, adding a caution to commuters planning a journey to the Coromandel this weekend.
Dome Valley north of Auckland was also closed temporarily to all light vehicles.
Houses lost power in parts of the city with lines company Vector warning people to prepare for further power cuts.
Stormwater drains also couldn’t contain the massive deluge at a central city supermarket, inundating the carpark with floodwater and blocking shoppers inside at the New World at Victoria Park.
Disappointed fans stream from Mt Smart Stadium as Elton John's concert is cancelled amid heavy downpours in the city. Photo / Alanah Eriksen
The torrential rain also cancelled Elton John’s show at Mt Smart Stadium, the first of his two Auckland concerts — the second is due to be played tonight.
Adding to fans’ woes, however, trains won’t be running and buses to the concert are expected to be running at capacity.
Opera in the Park in St Heliers and Movies in the Park in Manurewa were both cancelled yesterday.
National weather forecaster MetService had issued a slew of weather warnings for the upper North Island yesterday afternoon.
Rain is expected to continue to batter Auckland today with thunderstorms.A new heavy rain warning was issued for Auckland yesterday afternoon, with up to 80mm of rain possible to 10pm in addition to 120mm that fell earlier in the day.
The Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty and Mt Taranaki also have heavy rain warnings until about midday today, Saturday while Gisborne, Tongariro National Park and Wararapa are under heavy rain watches until this evening.Kaikohe, in the Far North, recorded 32mm in half an hour until 8am yesterday.
Castle Rock in the Coromandel Ranges had 151mm of rain in 24 hours, making it the wettest spot across the country, MetService said.Niwa said the Auckland area had been hit with “a summer’s worth of rain” with a month still to go, already according to its records.
