Contractors will continue today to clear slips and landslides caused by heavy rain in the Tairāwhiti region. Photo / Tairāwhiti Civil Defence
Contractors will continue today to clear slips and landslides caused by heavy rain in the Tairāwhiti region. Photo / Tairāwhiti Civil Defence
The Gisborne and Wairoa areas managed to avoid major flooding and weather damage overnight despite having received steady rainfall. However, as soon as one heavy rain watch was lifted for the regions, another one took its place.
MetService anticipates the next heavy rain watch to last 38 hours, starting at 7am tomorrow and not lifting until Tuesday night.
"We are expecting this to carry on," said MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakker, explaining that heavy rain in recent days could potentially make the regions more vulnerable.
"The ground's already saturated, so adding more rain to what's already there is the wet equivalent of adding fuel to the fire," he explained.
Residents on the East Coast and in some low-lying parts of Hawke's Bay are already facing a huge cleanup effort in the wake of last week's flooding. Both areas remained under a heavy rain watch until 10am today.
They ended up receiving "constant rain, occasionally heavy" rain overnight - with 15-20mm accumulated in Gisborne and a little less in Wairoa, Bakker said.
But officials were upbeat as today's anxiety-inducing watch came and went.
"Overnight we've continued to see river levels across the district drop, and floodwaters further recede," Central Hawke's Bay District Council said in an update today to its website and Facebook page. "Light showers are forecast today and the heavy swell watch for the coast has now been cancelled.
"We don't expect to have many updates for you today, with all but two roads now open. Please do take care out there, as there is still debris and water around that the team will make a start on tomorrow."
Tairāwhiti Civil Defence, meanwhile, said the overnight rain was "luckily not in the volumes we have experienced in the early parts of this weather system".
Most of the state highway network is now open and up to 1000 tonnes of rock have been used to help stabilise the Mangahauini Bridge in Tokomaru Bay, the agency said.
"Rainfall amounts on Monday are expected to be between 40-60mm but in some parts of the region these could increase to 80mm," Tairāwhiti Civil Defence noted. "Given the rain-soaked nature of the land this can create further problems so please take care on roads and properties."
Road closures in some parts of the East Coast will remain for some days to come. Photo / Neil Reid
The agency also gave "a big shout out" to contractors who have been copping some abuse from frustrated locals in recent days despite doing what the civil defence agency described as "an awesome job".
"We ask people to be patient and courteous towards them as they are doing the hard mahi for us all."
Civil Defence Group Controller Dave Wilson said motorists in Gisborne need to take care today, with debris continuing to fall onto roads. Contractors working to clear the slips and landslides are finding the ground is still moving and more slips are occurring, he said.
"The concern for us with slips is that there are a number that are still coming down, and you think well we're trying to work on them. The other issue for us is that any land's that's precarious, a little bit more rain may be the thing that tips it over the edge.
"There are a number of residences that we have got a close eye on, we're working with those residents."
He said crews are heading along the coast today to take medical and food supplies to families.
"Please if people are isolated and you haven't made contact with Civil Defence and you need help, please get in touch with us," he said. "We are here to help and we have the resources available if you do need things."
