Northland Faces Red Heavy Rain Warning: Civil Defence Issues Urgent Caution

It comes after Whangārei district was placed under a state of emergency for seven days yesterday. Concern remains for residents in hard-hit areas such as Ōakura, who have spent the past few days cleaning up after the weekend’s sudden downpours. Whangārei District Council has made a number of sandbags available to the community, as heavy rains starts to hit the district, which is under a state of emergency. The sandbags - some full, some empty - are available at Ōakura Hall and outside the Ventia yard, 27 Te Waiiti Place, Raumanga.Heavy rain is now hitting Northland, with one spot - Touwai near Matauri Bay - recording 27.5mm of rain in the hour to 11.30am, according to records from Northland Regional Council. Civil Defence today warned that heavy rain could cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly, with surface flooding, slips and floodwaters likely to close roads and disrupt travel. “The main period of concern remains the next bout of rain that is forecast to arrive later today, and will continue overnight; especially for communities that have already experienced impacts from previous rainfall.” Civil Defence said conditions could disrupt travel, make some roads impassable, and isolate communities. Residents were warned not to enter floodwaters. “Act quickly to self-evacuate if you see rising water.” People were also told to expect power cuts and communications outages. Farmers have also been reminded to move stock to higher ground. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell said the next big deluge for Northland was expected to arrive around lunchtime today. There had been preparation by National Emergency Management Authority (Nema) and Civil Defence, as well as police and fire, Mitchell said, to “pre-position people” ... “making sure we’re well and truly ready to deal with whatever is thrown at us”. He was most worried about Northland and Ōakura and the surrounding areas; “they’re basically fully saturated in terms of the ground... and we’ve got more coming,” he told RNZ’s Morning Report. “Think about your own safety, be prepared, have a grab bag ready to go,” Mitchell says. “If you want to move, now is the time to do it.” He praised marae leaders for providing support to the community, saying they’ve been “outstanding”. Far North District Council (FNDC) this morning announced it had opened its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). The Kaikohe-based EOC will act as the nerve centre for the council’s response to any weather-related emergencies that may impact the district over the coming 24 to 36 hours. The most recent MetService weather update issued at 9am predicts another 90-120mm of rain on top of what has already accumulated, possibly more in localised areas. It warned that the north and east would most likely be impacted. Localised downpours of 25-40mm per hour may occur this afternoon. Far North District Council has not issued a local state of emergency at this stage. However, it is warning Far North residents and visitors, especially those in remote locations, to avoid travel. People who must travel were encouraged to check for road closures and delays on roads on the FNDC website and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi’s website. Fourteen Far North District Council local roads have now been impacted by the severe weather, according to an update from the council at midday on Wednesday. This includes two roads that are completely closed, while others are restricted due to flooding, debris and fallen trees. The two road closures include Rawhiti Road - where the bridge has been washed out since Sunday - and Waikare Road which is closed by a washout. This road is often used as an alternative route between Kawakawa and Russell and work is underway to reopen the link. A full list of the impacted roads is available on thecouncil’s website. EOC staff will be contacting communities in affected areas regularly to confirm local conditions and any welfare needs. Far North residents have been urged to call emergency services on 111 if they, their whānau, or their property are at immediate risk. Far North councillor Colin “Toss” Kitchen said it is raining where he is at Whatuwhiwhi but not heavily. “It’s misty and rainy but not heavy rain … I’m sure it’s going to pass over.” The long-standing Kaitāia firefighter and current chairman of the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group advised locals to work from home if they can and avoid unnecessary travel. He also said people should be prepared – both to stay at home or leave if necessary – and check in on neighbours. Kitchen said locals are familiar with the places that are vulnerable to flooding, and advised holidaymakers to talk with locals or campground owners to get any idea of risk areas. In an update at 10.15am on Wednesday, Kitchen said heavy rain was now coming in from the east at Karikari Peninsula. At 9am this morning, Northpower’s website showed only 10 homes in Northland were without electricity - all of them on Mangapai Cave Rd, where a tree on the lines caused an outage at 6.30am. Northpower, and Top Energy in the Far North, were not reporting any other power cuts. In a social media post, Whangārei District Council contractor company Revolve Envirionmental Solutions encouraged residents to do their bit by clearing any culverts, catch pits, and other storm water structures while water levels were down. “One of the biggest causes of flooding after events like this is blocked drainage. When culverts and catch pits are clogged with debris, silt, and vegetation, water can’t flow where it’s designed to leading to road flooding, property damage, and erosion.” The quickest way to reduce further impacts is to: The company also advised property owners to consider emptying or lowering their water tanks. Full tanks often overflowed during heavy rain and can unintentionally add to local flooding. There’s been at least one report of livestock in difficulty in the weather. Cattle were reportedly stranded in floodwaters at Mangapai Rd, east of the Paparoa Rd, Maungakaramea turnoff where a bridge and culvert were previously rebuilt. The road to Ōakura to the main road was clear this morning, after sections flooded after the weekend’s deluge. On Tuesday, Whakapara floodwaters were still perilously close to the only southern access to the Old Russell Road, at its beginning off SH1. Floodwaters had not eased since initial downpours at the weekend. By 8am on Wednesday, State Highway 1 was clear at Whakapara – the water had receded slightly overnight. However, more rain was of course on the way.