Our Civil Defence team have spent the last few days analysing a complex weather system.
“Of particular interest has been to see if any weather event is likely to coincide with the red alert king tides that
will be present for most of next week,” says our Civil Defence Controller, Garry Towler.
“Although the weather could be uncomfortable for campers and outdoor activities on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, we
don’t see anything significant at this stage to concern us," says Mr Towler.
“In saying that, the weather is changeable so people should keep up to date and check the forecast before travelling or
boating,” says Mr Towler.
The king tides over summer are:
• December 24 - 28, 2018
• January 22 - 26, 2019
• February 20 - 24, 2019
• March 21 - 25, 2019
NIWA red alert tide calendars are available from their website here.
How to stay up to date:
Weather updates: MetService.
State Highways (SH25, SH25A, SH26 in the Coromandel) - NZTA. You can also call NZTA on 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49) for traffic and travel information. You can also use their
journey-planning website www.onthemove.govt.nz to plan the best route for your journey, taking into account known issues and traffic on state highways.
Council roads - We will post regular updates on our Council's Facebook page as well as on our website and email newsletters. If you see an issue that needs attention, call us on 07 868 0200.
Local radio - Check stations and frequencies here.
Red Cross Hazards App - alerts about hazards. Download from the App Store or Google Play.
Emergency Mobile Alert - these can be sent to your mobile phone, without needing to download an app or sign up. Check if your phone is capable
of receiving them, here.
Fire ban - Even if it rains, there is still a total fire ban in place. See www.checkitsalright.nz for more information.
Water restrictions - The rain should help replenish reservoirs and water tanks, but being our busy summer period we may have some water
restrictions in place. See what restrictions apply on our website www.tcdc.govt.nz/water.
Waikato Regional Council has set up an online hub for rainfall and flood-related information to help people more easily keep up to date with
severe weather events in the region. It can be found here.
Know your neighbours - phone each other in an emergency, especially vulnerable people, to check if they're OK.
To report a power outage, contact Powerco or your provider.
For more on these channels, and other information about staying informed in emergencies, go to the Civil Defence "Never Happens" website.