Napier Sailing Club Executive Manager Justin Dwyer makes sure mooring lines are secure. Photo / Paul Taylor
Napier Sailing Club Executive Manager Justin Dwyer makes sure mooring lines are secure. Photo / Paul Taylor
Hawke’s Bay is preparing for the worst as Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle looms, with at-risk communities doing all they can to prevent possible damage.
According to MetService forecasts and warnings as at Friday afternoon, the first associated impacts in Hawke’s Bay are expected from Sunday afternoon, with the arrival of periods of rain and easterlies, with a Heavy Rain Watch in place warning of 200-400mm of rain in the 48 hours from Monday 6am to Wednesday 6am, especially about the ranges.
Accompanied by heavy seas and waves of possibly six metres, the rain could compare with such storms in the region as the Napier 2020 and the calamity in Northern Hawke’s Bay a year ago.
Among those keeping a closer-than-average watch was Napier Port, which according to its online shipping schedule has 21 vessels booked to arrive over the next nine days to the end of the Thursday-to-Sunday Art Deco Festival.
They include cruise liners on Sunday, Monday and next Saturday and Sunday, and also Thursday’s berthing of naval vessel Mana on Thursday.
A Port spokesperson said it is maintaining ongoing communication with any vessels due next week and by late Friday had not received any cancellations.
“At this stage we are taking a watch and wait approach and will have a clearer picture of any disruptions to shipping services over the weekend,” they said. “It is likely that a number of vessels, including cruise ships, may be delayed at other New Zealand ports or anchored at sea for a period of time prior to their Napier call, but at this stage it is too early to tell.”
Friday was a busy day for the Napier Sailing Club, as members put in place measures to prevent damage and flooding.
Executive manager Justin Dwyer said it was “absolutely” all hands-on deck, with members actively securing mooring lines and doing their best to make boats safe and stable.
“The average boat would be four or five tonnes, so four or five tonnes smashing into other boats or pole moorings is just detrimental,” he said.
Forecast winds would pose big challenges for sailboats, so members were trying to take down as much “drag” as possible.
“When a mast catches the wind, it leans the boat over,” he said. “If we’re expecting what is forecast, we’ll see some boats sideways.”
It’s not only the boats at risk. The club carpark often floods at high tide, and with added rain there was a risk that the clubhouse “could potentially be under water”. The club was seeking out sandbags in an effort to prepare.
While challenging times could lie ahead, Dwyer said the club was lucky because they had a devoted team, some of whom would possibly stay at the club overnight to keep watch.
“We’re a pretty tight-knit community, so we definitely look out for each other and jump on each other’s boats.”
At Clifton, on a coast often pummelled by heavy seas, resident Doug Wardle was out on the beach moving driftwood on Friday afternoon.
He said that grunt work was needed to prevent them becoming missiles that could go through coastal properties when the worst waves hit.
Clifton resident Doug Wardle was out on the beach moving driftwood on Friday afternoon to prepare for Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Warren Buckland
He was planning to get a tractor in over the weekend to pull the big logs out.
The Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group and agencies were also preparing, with group controller Edaan Lennan saying: “We’ve got a couple of days to get ready, so we’re encouraging everyone in the region to use this time to get prepared.”
“We are taking a precautionary and proactive approach by preparing our communities and ourselves for any potential weather impacts”.
Metservice is due to update its Hawke’s Bay heavy rain watch about 11am on Saturday, and Lennan advised people in Hawke’s Bay to stay up to date with the latest forecasts and conditions at: https://www.metservice.com/national
A major interested party is the Art Deco Trust, with hundreds of visitors arriving in Napier for its annual festival, with dozens of events planned bouncing-back from the hit taken through Covid-19 response restrictions on sizes of gatherings over the last two years.
“We’ve been monitoring the forecasts, but so far it’s looking like next weekend will have the perfect conditions - not too hot and bit of cloud cover,” said general trust general manager Jeremy Smith.
Make a household plan that includes your pets in case you need to evacuate.
Have a grab bag with essential items ready to go.
Be prepared for possible power outages and check emergency supplies. In a storm you could be stuck at home for up to three days.
Clear debris and leaves from drains and gutters to help prevent surface flooding.
Secure items like wheelie bins, trampolines, outdoor furniture, boats and trailers. Bring items inside or tie items down that could move in strong winds.
Check on your friends, whānau, neighbours and anyone who might need your help.
