The Tītokorangi and Whakarewarewa Forests will be closed for recreational use from 4.30pm today until 12pm Tuesday, Rotorua Lakes Council said.
“Gates to carparks accessing the forest will be locked. Some of you know these forests just as the Redwoods. Timberlands and Rotorua Lakes Council will assess conditions Tuesday morning and this closure may be extended if necessary.
“We recommend you stay out of the forest now and use our other open spaces to exercise,” the council said.
DOC has made the decision to close all DOC tracks and campsites, including mountain bike tracks in Whakarewarewa, Maunga Kakaramea (Rainbow Mountain) and Western Okataina until 8am Thursday.
Meanwhile, a state of emergency has been declared in the Ōpōtiki district and Bay of Plenty Regional Council has activated its “flood room” in Whakatāne.
An orange weather warning had been issued by MetService for the Bay of Plenty west of Whakatane for 21 hours from 10am today until 6am tomorrow.
Between 120 to 180mm of rain is expected to fall with peak rates of 10 to 15mm/h but its possible rates could increase to 20 to 30mm/h this afternoon and evening.
Tree down on Sala St on Monday morning. Photo / Andrew Warner
Rotorua Lakes Council said as of 8am this morning, Cyclone Gabrielle was located just north of New Zealand.
“It is important to remember that the cyclone is just beginning, so although the weather may not look significant at this stage, it is expected to intensify during the day and into the evening,” the council said in a statement.
The council’s Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) team continued to monitor the situation and was working closely with the regional Bay of Plenty CDEM team to plan and prepare for how Rotorua responds to the impact of the cyclone.
“Council staff and contractors are still making preparations to respond to events as they occur, but please be prepared for delays as they prioritise callouts.
“There were no weather related issues last night or this morning, but crews are out checking cesspits and ensuring they are clear of any debris and making any previous slips sites (from weather events earlier this month) as safe as possible.
“Residents are advised to plan and prepare for severe weather and to follow direction from Civil Defence staff if required.”
If you need to report a weather-related issue in our district, if you need assistance, or if you feel unsafe, you can phone council on 07 348 4199 (24/7). If it is an emergency phone 111.
A planned drop-in session for Pukehangi residents to learn more about three housing developments collectively bringing 60 new houses to the area has been postponed due to the cyclone.
A Kāinga Ora spokeswoman said related travel disruptions for staff who were intending to travel to Rotorua for the session on Wednesday afternoon meant the call to postpone the Wednesday afternoon’s plans had to be made.
A new date was expected to be made in the next two weeks.
Unauthorised text message causes confusion
Whakatāne District Council understands there is a hoax text message circulating amongst the community incorrectly stating all Whakatāne and Ōhope residents must self-evacuate before midnight tonight.
Local Controller Nicholas Woodley stresses this message is not verified nor authorised by Whakatāne District Council and urges members of the community to disregard the false information.
The council confirmed there is currently no mandatory evacuation in place for anyone in the Whakatāne District.
However, those living in flood-prone areas or areas that could be inundated with coastal surges are encouraged to seriously consider self-evacuating until midday, Wednesday 15 February.
• Ōhiwa Parade, Liddon Cove, and low-lying parts of Harbour Road alongside Ōhiwa Harbour.
• West End, Ōhope to the Allied Petrol Station (note – this applies to those living on the coastal/beach side of Pohutukawa Ave section only).
A dedicated Emergency Evacuation Centre has been set up at Whakatāne War Memorial Hall and will open at noon today for those who have been recommended evacuating their properties and cannot do so to family and friends.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council has activated its “flood room” in Whakatāne as a precaution due to the forecasted weather. This means its flood team is set up and will be closely monitoring the situation as it develops.
”We also have operations staff out in the field, who are checking the condition of our flood infrastructure, assessing the weather conditions in key areas and pumping out flood waters from affected drainage canals,” the council said in a Facebook post.
State of emergency declared in Ōpōtiki district
A state of emergency has been declared for the Ōpōtiki district this morning. Ōpōtiki mayor David Moore explained that the declaration was done early given the district’s unique situation – long coastlines, vulnerable roads and history of issues in extreme weather events.
“This morning is our window of relative calm to prepare. We want to use all our powers to be as prepared as possible for Cyclone Gabrielle and be able to save lives and get resources to deal with the impacts.
“This declaration will allow our people doing the mahi on the ground to do things like close off areas, evacuate people and get the resources we need as soon as we need them.
“We haven’t taken this action lightly, but we are also making sure we act earlier rather than too late. With high tide around 1:30am Tuesday, and the worst of the cyclone sitting right off our coast at the same time, we need to make sure no one is scrambling in the dark, trying to leave at the worst possible time.”
“We have around 200km of tricky coastline to consider. Because of our scattered communities and more remote areas, we want to be prepared and take the daylight hours to contact those likely to be impacted. We are working with the regional council to prepare detailed maps of these areas so we can contact properties and communities directly with that information,” Moore said.
He also noted that evacuation centres were being set up and would be ready to go if and when they were needed. If people are asked to evacuate, in the first instance they should find their way to friends and family further inland. But if not, the evacuation centres will be available.
The Civil Defence teams will be sharing details on that later this morning if they are needed.
Moore also reiterated that, if asked, people should leave as soon as told to do so by authorities or any time they feel unsafe.
“You don’t need to wait for an official warning – if you feel unsafe, prepare yourself and your whānau and head to somewhere safe for a couple of nights. Make that plan now and actually call friends and family so they know you might be knocking on their door.
“Don’t leave it a hypothetical plan – make it concrete. Know where you are going and what you are taking.”Look out for each other. Check in with friends and neighbours and make contact if you have any concerns. We know this is a really stressful time so please support each other, stay up to date with the latest news and information as well.”
“Self-evacuate if you think or anticipate there will be an issue”
Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management group public information manager Lisa Glass says: “It’s better to leave calmly with your pets and all your essentials in daylight than have a mad scramble in the dark.”
She said no households had been asked to evacuate at this stage, “but there may well be evacuations required … especially in low-lying or flood-prone areas or where major coastal inundation is expected”.
She said authorities could ask or direct people to evacuate if there were safety concerns. She said safety was key, and if you are safe, it is best to stay put, out of the weather and off the roads.
“If your safety is threatened, for example if buildings are damaged or water is coming in, then you should self-evacuate. You don’t need to wait to be told.”
Glass said it was important for people to realise that the weather now right now “is only the very outer edge of this weather system - it has not hit us yet and probably won’t until some time overnight”.
She said there would be large sea swells of up to six to eight metres, severe gale force winds of up to 140km/h and heavy rain expected across the region. Storm surges could cause coastal inundation which is when water came onto land where it wouldn’t normally be, which is especially bad when timed with high tide and large waves.
While all Bay of Plenty coastlines were at risk of storm surges, Whakatāne, West End, Ōhope, Ōhiwa, Waihī Beach and coastal communities along State Highway 35 “are likely to be hit hardest”.
She said the wind and rain would be landing on an already sodden region which could cause slips, trees to fall and surface flooding.
People are urged to have an evacuation plan – including pets and medication, and tie down anything outside. She said no houses had been red or orange stickered in the region as a result of Gabrielle at this stage.
She said centres would be set up near affected communities if people needed to evacuate.”People are understandably on edge waiting to see what will happen and how bad it will be,” she said.
“A number of emergency operations centres have been activated across our rohe and we have also activated our BOP CDEM Group Emergency coordination centre. People are working fulltime behind the scenes to keep an eye on this cyclone’s progress so we can act swiftly if required to keep our communities safe and informed.”
Transport
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council has cancelled several Eastern Bay of Plenty bus services and asked the public to “be prepared for significant changes at short notices” to all Tauranga and Eastern Bay bus services.
Route 143a from Whakatāne to Tauranga is cancelled today and tomorrow (Feb14), Route 101 Whakatāne to Tauranga is cancelled today and tomorrow, Route 147 from Whakatāne to Ōpōtiki is cancelled today, and Route 150 from Pōtaka to Ōpōtiki is cancelled tomorrow.
The regional council said it was up to individual schools to decide whether to close, and school bus services would be cancelled on a case-by-case basis if schools decide to close.
“We will continue to operate school services unless the health and safety of our passengers and staff is compromised.”
There were no major road closures in the Bay of Plenty overnight.
InterCity, New Zealand’s national bus network, has cancelled 20 inter-regional services today due to disruption caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. The cancellations extend from the Far North, through Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne Region.
InterCity advises customers that the company will contact them with updates should further services be disrupted or cancelled.Customers are advised to check the InterCity website for details – intercity.co.nz
On Saturday, Waka Kotahi national emergency response team spokesperson Mark Owen urged people to avoid all non-essential travel in the upper North Island.
“Heavy rain and severe winds are likely to hit Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay.
“Many roads in these areas were damaged in the previous storm, the ground is already sodden, and they are particularly vulnerable to slips, flooding and closure.”
The transport agency has also urged caution for all drivers on the Desert Rd, especially those in lighter or high-sided vehicles or motorcycle.
Air New Zealand cancelled all turboprop flights to, from or through Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Taupo airports at midday yesterday until midday tomorrow.
Meanwhile, KiwiRail closed its rail network in the top half of the North Island yesterday evening.
No freight services would operate from Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty with rail lines from Auckland to near Marton closed, chief operations officer Siva Sivapakkiam said.
“By closing these parts of the network, we’re ensuring commuters and our people aren’t exposed to potentially dangerous conditions,” Sivapakkiam said.
Power crews ready
Unison spokesman Danny Gough said people needed to prepare for up to a few days without power.
He said the team was waiting at this stage for the worst to come, but said crews had been preparing for a few days. Staff were all kitted out and all staff were on standby for the worst of the weather, and there were internal plans which would activate the crisis and incident management.
”We’re as prepared as we can be and we have experience in dealing with significant weather events. Our crews are very much ready to respond as required.”
Gough said the team needed to make sure safety was never compromised and that they were able to actually get crews to affected areas regarding accessibility and hazards.
”Make sure you’re prepared to potentially be without power for several days, especially in our more exposed rural communities.”He said to also treat any downed power lines as live and report any safety issues. He said people should go to the Unison website in the first instance to see the extent of power outages and keep up to date on there.
Gough said outdoor objects such as furniture, trampolines and other loose items should be securely fixed to the ground to help keep people safe and prevent damage to property, power lines and power boxes.
“We do our very best to prepare for extreme weather events and respond quickly by having extra crews on the ground ready to make repairs and restore power to our customers,” Hayden said.
“Depending on road conditions, there may also be delays in crews reaching fault sites to start work.
“It’s incredibly important that if you come across downed power lines that you treat them as live at all times, stay well clear and contact our 24/7 emergency line on 0800 0800 27 27 27 or 111.”
Council information
Rubbish and recycling collection:
Rubbish and recycling collections are continuing as normal today (Monday 13 February 2023) and we will advise of any changes regarding Tuesday collections. This will depend on how conditions progress. As a precaution, please don’t put bins out tonight for Tuesday collection in case of high winds and/or heavy rain. Keep an eye on our channels for any updates about Tuesday collections.
If you live near a waterway:
Be ready to act quickly. Flooding can happen fast, and the warning time may be short.
Follow instructions and advice from Civil Defence. The team will inform you if an evacuation is required.
If you feel unsafe, evacuate to higher ground. You do not need to wait for an evacuation order to move to safety. If you need assistance, contact council on 07 348 4199 (24/7).
If you have evacuated, it may not be safe to return home even when the water has returned to normal. Listen to emergency services and local Civil Defence authorities and don’t return home until they tell you it is safe to do so.
Strong winds can lift large, heavy objects and send them crashing into homes.
Anything not secured may become a projectile.
Remove any debris or loose items from around your property.
Tie down your trampoline and other heavy outdoor objects.
Staying safe during strong wind:
Close windows, external and internal doors. Pull curtains and drapes over unprotected glass areas to prevent injury from shattered or flying glass.
Avoid driving unless absolutely necessary.
Do not participate in recreational activities on or near the water, as storm conditions can cause turbulent and unsafe waters, and coastal inundation is expected.
Additional tips to help you prepare for severe weather:
Unplug small appliances that may be affected by electrical power surges, as power cuts are possible in severe weather. If power is lost, unplug major appliances to reduce the power surge and possible damage when power is restored.
Have an emergency preparedness plan and ensure everyone in your household is aware of what to do in an emergency.
Check on your friends, whānau, neighbours and anyone who might need your help.
Civil Defence’s storm tips
Keep up to date with MetService weather forecasts.
Have grab bags ready for everyone in your family. These should include short-term essential supplies such as medications, snacks, water, torches, pet food, and baby formula (if needed).
Remove any debris or loose items from around your property and tie down heavy outdoor objects. If you have a trampoline, turn it upside down to minimise the surface area exposed to wind.
Clear debris and leaves from external drains and gutters to prevent overflow or water damage in heavy rain.
Check on your neighbours and anyone who might need your help.
Power cuts could affect EFTPOS and ATM machines and cause internet outages, so make sure you have some cash at home or food and water to last 3 days, and a battery-powered radio to stay informed.
