Weather taking toll on storm-battered north

Ongoing torrential downpours and strong winds are taking an increasing toll on rain-weary Northland with a number of communities isolated by floodwaters and thousands of homes without power.

Graeme MacDonald, of the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group – which is monitoring the situation from its Whangarei-based Emergency Operating Centre – says the Far North continues to bear the brunt of the storm’s force.

As of 2.15pm today, a number of Far North communities had been isolated by flooding and other weather-related incidents, including Horeke, Pawarenga, Mitimiti, Kaeo, Mangamuka and Rahiri. There are multiple road closures throughout the Far North and Whangarei Districts attributable to flooding, slips and downed trees.

Far North power company Top Energy is also reporting an estimated 2000 to 3000 homes are without power, and there are also a number of outages dotted around the Whangarei District.

Mr MacDonald says welfare centres have been – or are being - set up at locations throughout the Far North to help storm victims, including the Kerikeri, Paihia, Kawakawa, and Kaikohe St John Ambulance Centres. Another is based at the Opononi Fire Station.

A number of sewage overflows have been reported, at least two homes in the Far North are understood to have lost a roof due to high winds, while another home at Totara North has been damaged by a slip.

Rainfall has been especially heavy in the Kaeo area, where 214.5mm of rain had fallen in just over 12 hours from midnight, equivalent to rainfall for the entire month of July.

Mr MacDonald says the deluge over Kaeo is roughly double that of the Mangamuka area, which had recorded the next highest rainfall over the same period; 112mm.

In contrast, Central Whangarei had received 73mm over the same period, and Dargaville just 26mm.

“Unlike the situation in the Far North, river levels in the centre of Whangarei are not rising quickly and at this stage there are no plans to evacuate the Central Business District, although some businesses are taking flood-proofing precautions.”

Mr MacDonald says the MetService is predicting heavy rain will continue over much of Northland until tomorrow morning and officials are keeping a close watch on the situation, especially with high tide due along the east coast about 4pm.

He says weather-related information - including road closures and weather warnings – will continue to be posted as they come to hand on the Northland Regional Council’s website on the following link www.nrc.govt.nz/flooding

ENDS

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