Editorial: Repeated rain destabilises Kiwi perches

Cyclone Gabrielle hits Whangārei. Photo / Michael Cunningham

EDITORIAL

With Cyclone Gabrielle arriving so soon on the heels of Auckland’s floods and a very wet January, it will likely compound the disruption of people’s lives.

More rain and wind will have an impact on trees, swollen rivers and areas of waterlogged earth that might have managed to get through the last two storms but could find this one too much.

It’s the weight of successive deluges. There will be weakened trees with less of a grip in loosened soil, and land more prone to slipping.

Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll said ground across most of the North Island was saturated. “We’re talking about ground that just hasn’t had a chance to dry out.”

Some areas of Auckland got through the floods two weeks ago and a subsequent storm relatively unscathed, but that may not be the case this time.

Backyard tree falls or roadside flying branches could be more numerous, and costly in terms of repairs to any damage. They aren’t as consequential as dealing with a house being flooded or threatened, but these small, in-between blows add up.

About 50,000 households and businesses across the North Island were without power yesterday morning, with one power company saying it may take a week or more to restore electricity to some areas.

Vector said on Sunday that repairs might be difficult due to roads being difficult to access because of fallen trees or slips. Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews had calls about fallen trees damaging property, and wind lifting roofs. At least two houses in Auckland had trees fall on them.

About 18,500 households across Northland were without power yesterday where rainfall had been the heaviest - with 109mm falling in Whangārei in 24 hours - and 90km/h gusts as the region was first to be lashed by the cyclone.

Top Energy NZ said: “In many places, access has been hindered by trees and debris, and we cannot reach remote areas. We have broken poles and lines down in multiple sites - mainly caused by fallen trees.“

Extreme weather events can quickly cause disruption and isolation. Slips and floods can close roads and prevent access to supplies, healthcare and schools. With this cyclone, travel by air, rail, and road has been affected.

Auckland has about 1870 stickered properties in vulnerable positions, having suffered landslips in the last storms. Scientists recorded hundreds of new slips and rockfalls across the city in the past couple of weeks.

“There is the potential for new landslides to occur, and for existing landslides to reactivate,” Auckland Emergency Management’s deputy controller Rachel Kelleher said.

The cyclone was expected to set off more coastal slips.

University of Auckland coastal hazards researcher Professor Mark Dickson said: “The fact that we’ve already had a lot of rainfall leading up to this can leave our coastal cliffs and beaches compromised to this storm.

“It’s also possible that many new locations that didn’t fail in the last event may do this time around.”

Extreme weather events keep raining on the enthusiasm generations of Kiwis have had for beachside and clifftop properties, harbour and river views, and leafy surroundings.