Heavy rain is causing yet more havoc across Auckland. Video / Dean Purcell / Supplied
A heavy deluge of rain has wreaked more havoc in many parts of Auckland, Northland and Coromandel with rising floodwaters and slips forcing the evacuation of some properties and trapping motorists. Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne are in the firing line this morning, with orange heavy rain warnings.
Up to 30 students and their parents have been stranded at a school in Northland overnight as heavy rain caused flooding. Kaiwaka School put the call out for 30 blankets as students and parents prepared to hunker down for the night, according to social media reports.
Fire and Emergency was swamped with calls yesterday evening as severe thunderstorms caused chaos across parts of Auckland. Several stranded motorists were rescued by a boat after multiple cars were trapped in floodwater at Dairy Flat.
Police also began evacuating households in the area, while 14 people were trapped at a flooded Silverdale school, where six children were later rescued.
Parts of Northland, Auckland and Coromandel were hammered by heavy rain and thunderstorms on Friday afternoon and evening - the third time in a month that the regions have been hit by severe weather. A thunderstorm watch is in place until 7.30am on Saturday for the lower Coromandel and Western Bay of Plenty and until 5pm for Hawke’s Bay, and orange heavy rain warnings are in place until 6am for Gisborne and 1pm for Hawke’s Bay.
There is no current road access between Auckland and Northland due to a slip near State Highway 1/Otiroro Rd, Topuni and multiple road closures through Mangawhai, Waka Kotahi NZTA said in a statement. State Highway 1 north of Te Hana is closed due to “multiple slips”, Waka Kotahi tweeted at 10.10pm, virtually cutting off Northland and the Far North. A section of SH16 between Kaukapakapa and Wellsford is also closed.
A Northland council rain gauge just outside Mangawhai measured a record 342mm for the day, most of it after midday. Just south of Kaiwaka, more than 150mm was recorded inland of Mangawhai Heads.
MetService said some sites in Auckland had seen more than 100mm of rain in the past six hours and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown urged Aucklanders to remain vigilant. ”We want to assure Aucklanders that Auckland Emergency Management is fully operational, and emergency responders are on standby to assist people across the region,” Brown said. ”Earlier this evening, two emergency mobile alerts were issued to advise our most vulnerable communities of the heightened risk of slips and flooding from thunderstorms, and I have been in contact with the councillors in those wards.”
As of 6.30pm, MetService advised that the intensity of the Auckland thunderstorms has diminished. However, further heavy rain is likely on-and-off across most of the region for a few more hours yet.
”We’re not out of the woods yet, so remain vigilant,” Brown said.
One man travelling from Whangarei to Auckland today got caught in Mangawhai in the intense floodwaters.
”I’d been driving around for about four hours back and forth trying to find a way out but all roads are closed or washed out or blocked by slips or floods,” he said.
As he tried to navigate a route through, he came across a ute stuck in the flood waters.
”I was trying to find somewhere safe to park and came across the ute in the flood - he must have just gone in because the two guys were escaping out through the windows - a couple of guys must have been late teens or early 20s,” he said.
A vehicle is submerged in floodwaters near Mangawhai after a heavy rain event. Photo / Supplied
Emergency alerts were issued for many parts of Auckland as heavy rain once again strikes the region - including west coast areas still recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle. Aucklanders have been warned that two months’ worth of rain could fall and police have advised motorists to reconsider travel plans due to slips and heavy rain.
Auckland Emergency Management issued an Emergency Mobile Alert at 5.11pm due to the heightened risk of further landslides and flash flooding in Bethells Beach, Karekare, Muriwai and Piha.
An emergency alert was also issued for Rodney, Helensville, Upper Harbour, Te Atatu and Henderson Valley at 5.19pm.
“The alert has been issued due to an active line of thunderstorms which has brought high intensity, localised downpours,” EMA said.
Adam Maggs, Auckland Emergency Management duty controller, told Newstalk ZB it is difficult to pinpoint where the thunderstorms would hit hardest. He said the emergency alerts are a “precautionary measure”.
“The key thing is, if you are in areas that have seen land movement and slips previously, if that’s making you feel comfortable, move and get out of there, the rain we are experiencing has the potential to make mud flow.”
Earlier, WeatherWatch posted a message on Twitter that “one or two months’ worth of rain is going to fall in some places today (& already has done north of the city in rural areas)”.
Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll said a cold front that had been moving north had “stalled out” over Auckland, “and that’s going to act as a focal point for the development of heavy showers”.
“Auckland and Coromandel are certainly going to be under the gun here – and we’re concerned with the timing of this heavy rain coinciding with the afternoon and evening commute,” he said.
“If this rain continues into the night, then that timing may feel a bit like déjà vu, given the event we had a couple of weeks ago."
While that didn’t mean this storm system was a repeat of the historic January 27 deluge, Noll said it nonetheless came with some red flags.
“We’ve got a cold front that’s moved up the country, and a convergence zone draped across Auckland,” he said.
“Now, this is a bit different to what we had a couple of weeks back – which was basically a big subtropical low that brought down heaps of subtropical moisture.
Piha Surf Lifesaving Club custodian Paul Newnham said it had been “bucketing down” in the west coast settlement for about two hours.
”It’s not terrible but it’s a good, solid bit of rain.”
Another Piha resident said it was coming down steadily with small periods of heavy rain.
”North Piha is starting to fill up again. I think it’s quite dangerous already. If the rain continues with no breaks, I’m not sure what might happen.”
“That was a lot more widespread in terms of its coverage, whereas this is a much more localised phenomenon.
“But, considering we’re dealing with convection - which is equally as challenging to predict in terms of its exact placement - the bottom line is Auckland needs to be aware of this possibility [of severe weather] later today and tonight.”
Locals in the Mangawhai area reported some of the “heaviest rain they have ever seen” on social media as more wet weather batters the area.
Multiple main roads are now flooded after just an hour of rain, with people describing it as “rising rapidly”. Another local reported seeing emergency services helping those who are stranded.
Heavy rain north of Auckland closed State Highway 1 at the intersection of Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Rd, and also to the east in Hakaru.
“Due to slips and flooding, SH1 Waipu to Brynderwyn detour via Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Rd is closed,” Waka Kotahi NZTA reported.
A slip on Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Rd north of Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Aucklanders are being advised to take extra care if travelling around the Auckland region this evening, with MetService weather warnings and watches in place across the region.
Roads damaged during Cyclone Gabrielle and the anniversary weekend floods remain especially vulnerable to the impacts of further rain.
There are currently full closures in place for 25 roads across the Auckland region, and there is a risk of further closures depending on the severity of today’s rainfall.
“We are asking Aucklanders to be especially careful if travelling in areas hardest hit by the recent weather events, particularly in the Waitakere Ranges, rural Rodney and Awhitu Peninsula.
”We do not expect any significant disruption to public transport services as a result of the weather this evening. As a precaution we have reminded bus drivers to put safety first and avoid driving through floodwater, should flooding occur.”
Due to weather conditions, some West Harbour Ferry services have been cancelled in Auckland.
Police also warned motorists to consider changing their travel plans following reports of multiple slips and flooding in Waitematā North this afternoon.
Due to heavy rain, a number of roads have been affected by slips and flooding in Mangawhai, Mahurangi East, South Head, and Topuni, police said.
Police urged motorists to avoid non-essential travel if possible and to check updates for the latest weather forecast for their area.
Early this afternoon, MetService issued a heavy rain and “severe” thunderstorm watch for most of Auckland this afternoon until 10pm tonight.
A severe thunderstorm warning has also been issued for Kaipara and Rodney.
40 homes evacuated in Esk Valley region
Meanwhile, up to 40 homes in Napier’s Esk Valley have been evacuated today as more heavy rain closes in on the cyclone-ravaged region.
“Heavy rain is expected to cause impacts tonight, and you must evacuate now so you can move during daylight while it is safe to do so,” Civil Defence posted on social media.
Emergency services are carrying out a sweep through the area to make sure everyone was safely out, Hawke’s Bay Emergency Management group controller Ian Macdonald said.
“The river is known to rise quickly and it is known to burst its banks so we are trying to make sure people are safe tonight.”
An estimated 100-150mm of rain is expected to fall between this afternoon and tomorrow morning.
North Island regions still battered and soaked by Cyclone Gabrielle are facing fresh warnings of heavy rain, prompting concerns for vulnerable communities which are yet to recover.
And with more deluges also expected for hard-hit Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay from today, authorities aren’t taking any chances - warning residents to prepare for all eventualities.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said she is concerned for Esk Valley, “our most vulnerable community”.
”Our community is traumatised, they’ve seen a lot. They’ve been through a huge cyclone a huge event that they’ve never seen in Hawke’s Bay in their lifetime.”
She said she lay in bed last night listening to the police helicopter overhead and rain, waiting and hoping for it to stop.
”There are people out there feeling nervous and vulnerable.”
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise told Newstalk ZB that she was “really conscious” there will be a lot of anxious people in her community right now. Modelling predicted another 100-150ml of rain in the next 12 hours.
While the modelling did not show “significant impacts” for Napier, she said Esk Valley was an area of concern, hence why they were doing a “very precautionary evacuation”.
”We do know that the Esk will be getting that higher volume of rain so we just want to be super safe.”
A total of 23 people remain “uncontactable” in the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne areas after the cyclone, police said today.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis are spending touring cyclone-ravaged Northland and meeting with local mayors today to survey the devastation caused by the severe storm.
Large slips have wreaked havoc across the region and State Highway 1 is still closed between Brynderwyn and Waipu due to slips, and is partially closed between Whangarei and Kawakawa.
Hipkins is scheduled to meet with community organisations, emergency response teams and observe the impact flooding has had on the area.
Chris Hipkins boards a helicopter for a flight from Napier to Wairoa on 22 February after the devastation of cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / RNZ
Hipkins was back in Hawke’s Bay yesterday, surveying the damage and announcing a ministerial inquiry into forestry slash, to be chaired by former National education minister and Gisborne-based MP Hekia Parata.
His planned flight to Wairoa to witness the destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle lasted all of 10 minutes before it had to be abandoned - with the weather at fault again.
Low cloud along the east coast meant the NH90 Hipkins was travelling in had to be redirected to the Napier airport shortly after takeoff from the Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds.
Cyclone Gabrielle
Slash and forestry waste on the beach at Gisborne 20 February 2023
picture supplied
credit: Tairawhiti Civil Defence
https://www.facebook.com/CDEMGisborne
Hipkins told a media stand-up yesterday “things have to change because slash on beaches, in rivers, on farms is unacceptable” - something he said he would take steps to address in the very early days after the cyclone smashed through the North Island.
Photos of collapsed bridges with piles of slash at their bases – and anger from those in places such as Tolaga Bay – reignited calls for action on the long-standing problem of debris from commercial forestry.
Napier MP and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash said: “What this [review] will do is make recommendations about how we can get this right. What we need to get right is the management practices of forestry on these highly erodible soils.”
He said the forest sector had done a lot of work in retiring certain forests, moving slash from skip sites, but the country had still seen a lot more wood coming on to the beaches.
Nash said he wanted the forestry industry to “take responsibility” for its actions regarding slash.
Napier MP Stuart Nash speaking at a media conference at the HB Showgrounds. Photo/Warren Buckland
