Tourists spend the night in Westland as gale-force winds strike
Tuesday, 20 February 2018
More than 140 tourists were forced to spend the night in buses around the Westland District.
Westland Civil Defence said on Tuesday buses were being used as welfare centres in Franz Josef, Fox Glacier and Whataroa, where there are reports of damaged buildings and felled trees.
About 55 more tourists were sleeping in the Whataroa and Haast town halls.
Gale force winds have battered south Westland from Hari Hari to Haast.
**READ MORE:
* State of emergency in Christchurch
* Everything you need to know about cyclones
* The process of naming cyclones**
Power is out in Kokatahi and Paringa and will not be restored until Wednesday.
Hokitika Airport remains closed for the night.
Police and the Defence Force planned to 'sweep' the closed coastal State Highway 6 after a campervan rolled in high winds north of Greymouth, injuring those inside. A truck also rolled on SH6 north of Whataroa, while 10 milk tankers were stranded in Harihari.
About 12 homes at Granity and Hector – where properties flooded less than three weeks ago during ex-cyclone Fehi – have been evacuated.
The Grey, Buller and Westland districts declared states of emergency, as have Christchurch, Selwyn, Nelson/Tasman and Taranaki.
Metservice meteorologist April Clark said strong south-easterly winds hit the coast about 6pm and were not expected to slow until 10pm, an hour after heavy rain was forecast to ease. Gusts of up to 120kmh buffeted Buller on Tuesday evening.
'The wind is the real issue there, places in valleys will be feeling it most as it squeezes through,' Clark said.
She said gusts moving so quickly were 'certainly rare'.
WESTLAND
Westland Mayor Bruce Smith said a state of emergency was declared at 7pm.
'We had a conference call with the Civil Defence group in Greymouth and the police inspector, Mel Aitken, told us she was unable to supply staff to South Westland to relieve staff that's down there. The head of the fire service told us he had only power in one of three stations in South Westland. The fact that services could not be maintained triggered a state of emergency,' he said.
Smith said he understood a roof had blown off a building near Whataroa.
The state of emergency declaration would be reviewed on Wednesday morning, he said.
Westland District Council public information officer Andy Thompson said 25 tourists were staying in the Whataroa Community Hall.
'It was two buses with Chinese and Taiwanese tourists. They couldn't get any accommodation so we've opened up the community hall for the night,' he said.
Power lines were down at Lake Paringa, but the wind was still too severe to send crews out on Tuesday night.
Further south, a campervan overturned as its occupants tried to drive on SH6 north of Greymouth, near Rapahoe. Three occupants were taken to Grey Hospital with minor injuries, St John said. The Coast Rd, which connects Westport and Greymouth, was closed about 2pm.
GREY
Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn said the crash triggered a police and Defence Force 'sweep' to check on all vehicles parked between Rapahoe and Westport to ensure no-one was travelling on the road.
Kokshoorn said the expected weather 'hasn't packed the punch we anticipated', but winds were lashing the region and 'we've still got a way to go yet'.
Civil Defence was communicating with 2000 campers across the West Coast through an app, and would keep them updated as the storm moved over the region.
Kokshoorn said he was concerned about tourists being stranded in town due to the TranzAlpine train being cancelled. It would put pressure on accommodation.
If tourists were stuck without a bed for the night, the council would open up the Westland Recreation Centre for emergency accommodation, he said.
BULLER
Buller Mayor Garry Howard said the decision to declare a state of emergency was made for his district at 3.53pm to give residents time to prepare as the worst of the storm neared.
'The decision to declare was made primarily to protect lives and to give emergency services the powers they need to be able to evacuate residents.'
He feared 'the worst will hit in darkness'.
It was 'not a good situation' in Granity, north of Westport, as high seas lashed seafront properties. Some were still red-stickered following ex-Cyclone Fehi on February 1.
Emergency services were assessing if and when evacuations would happen.
Buller Civil Defence spokeswoman Andy Gowland-Douglas said while there were some frustrations and 'shellshock' at evacuations so soon after ex-cyclone Fehi, most people were 'using their common sense'.
'I think people learned to take things seriously after what happened last time but fortunately this time we don't have as many layers of complexity.'
Existing structural damage to coastal properties made them more susceptible to further damage, she said.
Howard said there were sustained winds of up to 70kmh about 2.30pm in Westport.
'It has arrived. Everyone is hunkered down, in the main street the shops are all closed – the schools are all closed.'
Some local roads in the Buller District, including Dickinson Pde and the North Beach access road, were closed as a safety precaution.
Sounds Air has grounded all flights in and out of Westport and Air New Zealand cancelled all flights in and out of Hokitika. All schools on the West Coast were kept closed on Tuesday – a pre-emptive decision ahead of the storm.
PREPARATION IS KEY:
* Stay informed on weather updates. Listen to your local radio stations and check Facebook pages as Civil Defence authorities will update the most appropriate advice for your community and situation.
* Put your household emergency plan into action and check your getaway kit in case you have to leave in a hurry.
* Secure, or move indoors, all items that could get blown about and cause harm in strong winds. Turn trampolines upside down.
* Close windows, external and internal doors. Pull curtains and drapes over unprotected glass areas to prevent injury from shattered or flying glass.
* If the wind becomes destructive, stay away from doors and windows and shelter further inside the house.
* Water supplies can be affected so it is a good idea to store drinking water in containers and fill bathtubs and sinks with water.
* Don't walk around outside and avoid driving unless absolutely necessary.
* Power cuts are possible in severe weather. Unplug small appliances that may be affected by electrical power surges. If power is lost unplug major appliances to reduce the power surge and possible damage when power is restored.
* Bring pets inside. Move stock to shelter. If you have to evacuate, take your pets with you.