Waipā District Council chief executive Garry Dyet said the council was advised that Cyclone Gabriella was expected to hit the district on Monday afternoon Photo / Dean Taylor
Waipā District Council chief executive Garry Dyet said the council was advised that Cyclone Gabriella was expected to hit the district on Monday afternoon Photo / Dean Taylor
Waipā District Council has closed its offices and all facilities for Monday on the advice of Civil Defence.
The closure covers the council offices in Cambridge and Te Awamutu and both libraries. All staff have been told to work from home.
Chief executive Garry Dyet said the decision to close public facilities follows advice that Cyclone Gabriella is expected to hit the district this afternoon with high winds and heavy rain forecast.
The council says it will review the decision at 7am on Tuesday to decide if offices and facilities will be re-opened
If so, communication would go out on all of the council’s communication channels, including Facebook and Antenno.
The council continues to urge people to be prepared and follow Civil Defence advice. This website contains the most up-to-date information and advice.
DOC facilities closed across the North Island
Department of Conservation facilities throughout Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay were closed to the public as Cyclone Gabrielle headed toward the country.
These facilities include DOC offices, tracks, huts, campsites and visitor centres.
The cyclone, which formed northeast of Australia, is travelling in a southeasterly direction, and several forecasting models show it passing over the North Island. It has the potential to pack winds of up to 150 km/h, accompanied by extensive persistent heavy rain.
DOC’s Deputy Director-General Organisation Support, Mike Tully, says that the department’s priority is the safety and well-being of its staff, visitors, contractors, and volunteers.
Last week a landslide came crashing down on popular Coromandel beach Cathedral Cove. Photo / DoC Whitianga
“DOC staff across the country have been working tirelessly over the past few days to prepare and understand what the effects of the cyclone may mean for visitors, public conservation land and assets.
“Those weather impacts create a risk to people in the outdoors, we are strongly urging the public to stay home, stay safe and hunker down.
“The great outdoors is not the place to be in a cyclone.”
DOC staff will need to carry out assessments on assets once the cyclone has passed the country, and this work will dictate when huts, campsites and tracks can be reopened to the public.
Visitors should keep an eye on the dedicated page of the DOC website for weather-related updates.
