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Cyclone Hail brings heavy rains to Coromandel

userJanuary 10, 2023
Cyclone Hail brings heavy rains to Coromandel

Trees block both lanes of Nuuk Road in Parua Bay, Northland.
photograph: Whangarei District Council / Claudia Oliver

Cyclone Hale made landfall on the east coast with strong winds, 6m swells on the coast and heavy rains, causing flooding, slips and road closures in several parts of the North Island.

It was expected to hit Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island on Tuesday morning and reach the coastlines of Marlborough and northern Canterbury from Wednesday morning.

Tairawhiti has declared a local emergency, and Northland and North Auckland have seen almost a month’s worth of rain in the last 24 hours, according to MetService.

Rain was expected to peak in most areas on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning, exacerbating flooding in the region.

By Tuesday evening, MetService heavy rain warnings were still in effect for the Coromandel Peninsula, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, the Tararua Ranges and eastern Wairarapa. In some cases, these warnings were expected to last until Wednesday night.

Heavy rain warnings were issued for parts of Taranaki, the central North Island and the Marlborough and Canterbury coasts on Tuesday night, while strong wind warnings were issued for eastern Taupo, southern Taranaki, the Whanganui coast, Manawatu, Holofenua, Kapiti and Wellington.

However, rains eased in Northland and Auckland by Tuesday evening, and heavy rain warnings for those areas were lifted.

Cyclone Hale was forecast to move southeast from New Zealand late Wednesday.

Tolaga Bay residents near Hikwai River called for evacuation preparations – Willow Flat Evacuation

Tairawhiti on the east coast had declared a local state of emergency. This gave the Office of Civil Defense special powers to deal with emergencies and coordinate other emergency services.

The area had been hit hard by Cyclone Hale and Willow Flat had already been evacuated, roads were closed in places, and surface flooding was occurring throughout the Gisborne area.

Power outages in some areas along the coast.

The Hikuwai River, a tributary to the Uawa River, could peak at 13.5 meters on Tuesday night, surpassing the 2005 record of 12.4 meters, according to rainfall models, the Gisborne District Council said.

By 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the river was expected to rise above the 11-metre mark, peaking around 11:00 p.m.

The Civil Defense Agency was urging anyone remaining in the Willow Flats area near the river to evacuate their homes as soon as possible.

Other lowland residents near the Uawa river were asked to prepare for evacuation, and farmers were encouraged to move their livestock to higher ground.

Civil defense was activated in all rural and coastal areas.

Shanan Gray of Uawa Civil Defense said many people had already self-evacuated the area and were staying in wānau.

He said anyone stuck in a shelter in the Tolaga Bay area could seek refuge at the Hauchi Marae on Hauchi Road, just off Route 35 just south of the town of Tolaga Bay.

Cyclone Hale was expected to continue bringing heavy rains and high winds to the northern North Island.

Gray said the town of Tolaga Bay was protected from flooding, but the surrounding farmland was at risk.

The Gisborne District Council said it was monitoring Te Kalaka and the Waipaoa River near Highway 2.

Anyone who had to self-evacuate could go to a school in the Te Calaka area.

Gisborne roads are saturated and residents are asking to stay home and use less water

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz has urged people to stay home and exercise caution as rain and wind continue to ravage the area, creating dangerous conditions for roads with flooding and occasional slippage.

“National Highway 35 between Uawa and Ruatoria is closed, and all of our heavy forestry routes are closed,” Stoltz said.

“People please stay home! Tairawhiti Civil Defense Page.”

Gisborne District Council said anyone needing help can contact the civil defense team at 0800 653 800.

More than 100 mm of rain fell overnight in areas near Gisborne and about 40 mm in Gisborne from Monday night to Tuesday night.

In an update Tuesday night, Tairāwhiti Civil Defense said a further 150mm to 200mm of rain is expected by 4 a.m. Wednesday, raising total precipitation during the storm from 250mm to 350mm. said.

“By tonight, peak rates of 15 to 25mm per hour are possible,” he said. The worst rainfall was around 9pm with high tide at 9:30pm.

About 53 households were hit with power outages on Tuesday, and power outages were expected to last overnight, according to the city council.

Dirt roads in the area were closed and campers near the coast were heading home.

Tairawhiti Civil Defense has asked people to check on their neighbors.

State Highway 35 will be closed from 7pm on Tuesday due to a partial collapse of the road between Te Puia Springs and Ruatria.

Near Gisborne today, some people were rescued after their car got stuck in a flooded creek.

The council posted on social media that police and firefighters were called to help people trapped inside vehicles after last night’s bad weather.

The unsealed road will remain closed to regional freight trucks until 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The Tairawhiti Civil Defense Authority has announced a closure at 8:00 pm Tuesday due to Cyclone Hail.

Forestry company Ernslaw One supported the decision. Regional manager Bill Wheeler said employees were due to return from vacation on Tuesday, but it was postponed until Thursday.

Meanwhile, contractors were dealing with bubbling sewer manholes due to heavy rain falling into the sewer network from the property.

Council 4 Waters Operations Manager Chris Hopman said the Gladstone Road Bridge emergency valve was opened to relieve pressure at 8 am Tuesday.

“The Wainui Road pump station is at the highest level we have ever seen. We ask residents to avoid unnecessary water use in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry.

“Valves to waterways need to be opened to prevent wastewater from flowing into people’s homes and manholes in the streets, where they can pose health risks.”

Floods and slips on State Route 1 across the Northern North Island

Police advised drivers to avoid traveling to Northland unless it was an emergency, especially staying away from the coast.

MetService has lifted heavy rain warnings for Northland, but weather hazards remain.

Flooding and slippage from heavy rains caused drivers to circumnavigate portions of State Route 1.

A tree had fallen across the northbound lane of the highway near Dome Valley in Warkworth. There were no reports of injuries.

Southbound lanes were open, but drivers traveling in the area should expect significant delays.

Further north, State Highway 1 over the Brindarwyn Hills was partially closed in both directions due to severe surface flooding and slippage.

Traffic was being diverted at the intersection of State Highway 14 and State Highway 1.

In Whangarei, Riverside Drive was restricted to one lane and small vehicles were warned to avoid Memorial Drive, police said.

The loop road south of Whangarei, Route 15 between Otaika and Maungatapere, was closed due to flooding.

Kokupu Block Road was also closed due to flooding in Maungatapere.

Two vehicles caught in flood waters on Wellsford’s Waitay Tay Road have since escaped, police said. There were no reports of injuries.

in the already suffering from slip In the Mangamuka Valley north of Kaitoke, another section of National Highway 1 had to be closed due to multiple large slips and dropouts, Waka Kotahi said.

Motorists have been advised to avoid Route 10 or delay travel as much as possible.

Flooding along Grahamtown Rd, Whangarei

Flooding occurred this morning along Grahamtown Road in Whangarei.
photograph: RNZ / Sam Ory

Aotea Great Barrier Island Floods: Hawke’s Bay Prepares for Impact

Floods and slides also occur in Aotea Great Barrier Island.

Local board chair Izzy Fordham said some mistakes were being handled by contractors, but the island’s campground had already been cleared after last week’s storm.

A local emergency management team was on standby, and Fordham said residents crouched and waited for the storm to pass.

A heavy rain warning for Hawke’s Bay is expected to last until 10 a.m. Wednesday, with heavy rain likely inland through Wednesday afternoon and evening, MetService said.

Ian Macdonald, head of Hawke’s Bay Civil Defense Emergency Management, said residents should stay home during the worst of the weather, with strong winds expected from Tuesday night.

Emergency services were coordinating efforts in the area, McDonald said.

Coromandel Peninsula: blackouts and road closures

Rainfall on the Coromandel Peninsula intensified on Tuesday morning and more during the day.

Thames Valley Civil Defense Administrator Gary Towler said a total of 400mm of rain was expected by 10pm on Tuesday, the equivalent of the past week’s total rainfall.

He said further road closures could be expected later today.

The national highway on the east coast of the peninsula between Hiquai and Whitianga was likely to be closed, as was State Highway 25, which enters the Thames.

Taurer said the damage to the road was as serious as a once-in-20-year storm event.

A MetService heavy rain warning was in effect for the Coromandel Peninsula region until 2am Wednesday morning.

Slip on 309 Road, Coromandel on January 10, 2023.

309 Road, which traverses the summit of the Coromandel Peninsula, was blocked by slips on Tuesday morning.
photograph: Supplied / Shanks Perlman

Power went out to more than 100 homes in the Coromandel on Tuesday.

“Last night had quite an impact,” Taurer said. morning report.

The east coast has been hit the hardest, and the entire east coast is likely to close after high tide, he said.

“Flooding is widespread, with many slips all the way from Hiquai to Whitianga. Widespread phone calls and blackouts as well.

“The impact going forward will be very dramatic, but we have had over 400mm of rain last week and we have absolutely no capacity to absorb anything like this, so we have to keep this relevant.”

Niwa map of Cyclone Hale tracking over the North Island

This Niwa screenshot shows how the weather was expected to affect the upper North Island around 5pm on Tuesday.
photograph: Niwa

In Whitianga, 136 facilities in the town of Fenuakite had no power since 2am on Tuesday. The network company was investigating the cause of the outage.

At 11:00 am, police advised residents to stay indoors and away from the beach, as high tide was expected at 11:15 am.

Several roads in the Thames-Coromandel area were closed due to the storm.



https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/482157/cyclone-hale-delivers-more-heavy-rain-for-coromandel Cyclone Hail brings heavy rains to Coromandel

userJanuary 10, 2023
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