'It will be extensive and expensive': Civil Defence surveys Northland's clean-up job after flooding and slips

Saturday, 18 July 2020

An expensive clean-up is underway in Northland following a deluge of rain described as a once in a 500 year rainfall event.

Murray Soljak, a spokesperson for the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management group, said there was extensive damage to roads across the region.

A combination of flooding, slips and washouts had affected roads and state highways, and the extent of the damaged was being assessed on Saturday.

'It will be extensive and expensive.”

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**READ MORE:

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* Whangārei breaks weather record with hottest ever temperature of 33.5 degrees Celsius

* Warm, sunny weekend for most of the North Island but rain, gales for the South Island

* 'Phenomenal' day of thunderstorms continuing Saturday with severe warnings for parts of Auckland

**

There were also reports of some businesses and homes being flooded, and parked cars that were engulfed in water, however the roading damage was the most extensive.

Households and businesses from Waitangi to Opua are being urged to urgently reduce water consumption while repairs are made to the Paihia Water Treatment Plant, which was damaged by storm debris and silt.

Extensive flooding in Whangārei has ruined at least $100,000 worth of stock belonging to Mitre 10 Mega.

Owner Peter Rogers-Jenkins said the stock was in off-site storage facilities. The Porowini Ave store was not spared either, with extensive flooding inside.

“The garden centre was completely trashed,” Rogers-Jenkins said.

However, the store was open on Saturday as usual thanks to the efforts of staff who arrived before dawn to clean up.

Photos show wood chips strewn across the store and the car park completely submerged. Rogers-Jenkins shouted his staff pizzas for lunch to thank them for their Herculean efforts.

He remained philosophical about the damage, which he hoped would be covered by insurance.

“Covid was worse, put it that way.”

The weather worst of the weather hit overnight, and for many people it was likely “pretty unsettling” for them, Soljak said.

There were some people across the region who chose to self-evacuate for their own reasons, so it was difficult to pinpoint the exact numbers. But based on anecdotal evidence, he estimated about 15 people self-evacutated in Whangārei, with roughly 40 others around the region.

During the worst of the storm, some displaced travellers managed to find shelter at churches, maraes and schools who opened their doors to them, he said.

There hasn't been a storm in Northland quite like this one in recent years, Soljak said. He recalled that the last one that caused similar significant flooding and slips was in July 2014, after it rained for about 10-days straight.

That storm, however, had strong winds and had caused power outages at the time, which luckily, the most recent storm did not.

As it was the last weekend of the school holidays, there were people wanting to travel and a lot of pressure to get the roads re-opened. But for safety, he urged them to stay off the roads until the slips were cleared and the roads were re-opened.

Earlier on Saturday the Government said it was on standby to assist communities across Coromandel, Northland and Tairawhiti following extensive flooding.

Civil Defence Minister Peeni Henare said: “I’ve spoken to the local mayors and understand the most important message this morning is to stay off the roads and avoid unnecessary travel so that emergency services can provide assistance to those most in need.”

Northland’s once in 500 year rainfall

An “extreme' storm saw heavy rain and thunderstorms lash the Northland region, causing significant slips, road closures, stranding people in their vehicles and leading to homes being evacuated.

The top of New Zealand is “effectively cut off” by state highway closures caused by torrential rain and landslides.

Henare said several Civil Defence centres were opened on Friday night to help people who had to evacuate their homes due to flooding or couldn’t get home due to road closures.

There had been 45 calls received by the Far North District Council relating to roading, infrastructure and downed trees.

“In Tarawhiti, SH35 was closed between Te Puia & Tolaga Bay, some local roads are also closed, and the Hikuwai River is being monitored.

“As damage assessments take place this morning, I am considering options for travelling to the region to see where the Government can best support local communities during this time,” he said.

Mother goes into premature labour mid-storm

Another person caught-up in the storm was a woman who appeared to be going into labour only 29 weeks into her pregnancy.

The woman's midwife was unable to get to her due to being stranded by the storm, so Bay of Islands midwife Justine O'Dwyer was called in to help at 4am on Saturday.

'We're midwives. If a woman needs help, we go.'

O'Dwyer navigated the 40-minute drive to the Broadway Medical Centre in Kaikohe, a journey which usually took about 30 minutes on a fine day, and found herself aquaplaning a few times.

'It was a little bit hairy getting over there.'

Upon her arrival, the pregnant woman was coping 'relatively well' despite her premature labour.

GP services are not typically set up with the appropriate emergency equipment to deliver a premature baby, O'Dwyer said, however transferring her elsewhere was proving difficult due to road closures.

O'Dwyer managed to slow the woman's labour down enough that she could be flown to Auckland City Hospital via the Northland Rescue Helicopter.

The baby is yet to be born as of 11.30am on Saturday, however O'Dwyer believed the woman would give birth today, adding that '29-weekers usually do OK'.

Don’t travel

Despite official advice not to travel, the roads through Northland were clogged for much of Saturday as motorists sat bumper-to-bumper trying to navigate road closures.

NZ Transport Agency's (NZTA) Northland system manager Jacqui Hori-Hoult said there are a number of state highway closures following slips and flooding, including SH1 between Victoria Valley Rd, Kaitaia and Kawakawa.

NZTA is advising motorists in the area to delay their journeys and not attempt to drive through the closures.

SH1 at Loop Road opened to two-way traffic just after 6.30pm on Saturday after being down to one lane with stop/go operators managing traffic flows while road crews repaired the damaged southbound lane.

“It’s been a long tough day for our workers in difficult conditions but they have managed to rebuild the road to a safe standard and we can re-open it to overnight traffic,” Hori-Hoult said.

“The flooding also caused potholes in other parts of the road and they will be repaired in daylight hours tomorrow.”

The top of the country was effectively cut off by road closures, but with SH1 reopening at Moerewa and SH10 being used as a detour route, access has now been restored.

Roads closed today but now open include slips cleared on SH1 in Whangarei and SH11 near Opua. SH1 Moerewa still has water on the road but some vehicles are being allowed through.

“People should be aware that this is a fluid situation and as our crews drive the network, they are finding new areas of concern,” Hori-Hoult said.

“Most recently, this includes floodwaters across the road on SH1 at Whakapara and on SH15 at Ruakaka.”

With continuing rain, there could be further road closures, she warned.

MetService said localised downpours and thunderstorms were still possible in Northland during Saturday and on Sunday, but the threat of widespread heavy rain for Northland had passed.

Further north, SH1 through the Mangamuka Gorge was likely to be closed for some time as crews investigate two big slips under the road.

You can find a full list of road closures at the bottom of this page.

For many Northland locals, the clean-up was underway on Saturday morning. Photos on social media show staff sweeping mud and debris from their shopfronts and carparks.

Some clothing stores were closed due to flood damage. The Whangārei Quarry Garden posted on social media saying they were closed due to “significant damage”.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand responded to more than 200 weather-related incidents in Northland between 6pm Friday and 5.30am Saturday. The majority of the call-outs were due to flooding in the Northland and wider Whangārei areas.

A police spokeswoman said 'a handful' of homes in Whangārei and Paihia were evacuated, including one in Kensington where a person and their cat were taken to safety.

Flooding and landslides have closed a number of roads in Northland, with major slips occurring in Whangārei, Opua, Herekino and Mangamuka, the spokeswoman said.

Two people in the far north area of Tāheke were also caught in the storm’s crossfire and had to be rescued after they became trapped in their vehicle in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Extreme rain

MetService meteorologist Rob Kerr​ said the amount of rainfall in such a short period of time was similar to that of when a former tropical storm hits the country.

“This is definitely an extreme event.”

MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakker told RNZ that 220 millimetres of rain had fallen in Whangārei since 7pm.

'So to put that in perspective, that kind of event – getting 220mm of rain overnight - it has a return period of more than 500 years. So we're expecting that once in 500 years.'

Kerr said MetService's weather stations recorded “frankly quite incredible numbers,” he said.

Kaikohe recorded a whopping 274mm of rain in a 24-hour period, with more than 56mm falling from 3am on Saturday, he said.

Between 5pm-9pm on Friday, 156mm fell there, “which is an incredible amount”, he said.

That amount of rainfall in just a few hours was “very, very unusual”, he said.

Normally 100mm in a 24-hour period would have meteorologists looking at the area and a weather watch or warning could be triggered, he said.

Whangārei Airport recorded about 250mm in the same 24-hour period, and Kerikeri recorded 178mm.

The heavy rain and thunderstorms were caused by a slow-moving weather system that was dragging warmer, sub-tropical air over the region, Kerr said.

According to Niwa, Whangārei recorded its wettest July hour on record between 8pm-9pm on Friday, with 39.6mm.

Nearly 133mm fell in just four hours between 6pm-10pm – 78 per cent the monthly normal, it said in a post online.

The Whangārei District Council is asking residents in Onerahi and Whangārei Heads to conserve water for drinking and emergency use only due to a burst water main on Riverside Drive.

'There is a small amount in the reservoir but it is dropping fast,' the council said. Treatment plants were also struggling with the 'intense rainfall'.

Those who need to leave their homes due to flooding can go to Civil Defence centres in the Kamo Scout Hall on Crawford Cres or the Onerahi Community Hall on Onerahi Rd.

The council also recommended against travelling.

Civil Defence Northland strongly recommended residents avoid unessential travel.

'A number of vehicles had to be abandoned and some occupants rescued in the dark last night,' it said in a post on social media.

It added that residents should check on their neighbours to see if they need help managing damage.'The reassurance is always welcome.'

The Insurance Council NZ recommends those with flood-damaged property contact their insurance provider as soon as possible, take photos of damage, note details of valuable items and retain invoices from any essential repairs.

It advised against doing anything to risk personal safety, including entering flood water or using cars or electrical appliances that have gotten wet.

Gisborne

Meanwhile, Gisborne also had heavy rain and flash flooding overnight, causing slips in the area and some residents to self-evacuate.

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz​ said although the rain had eased slightly in the area, they were keeping a very close eye on the Hikuwai River water levels.

She said there were multiple slips on SH35 which contractors were working hard to clear, and also extensive surface flooding throughout the district.

Her message to anyone considering travelling was to “please stay home”.

Uawa Civil Defence deputy officer Nori Parata said three families were evacuated from Mangatokerau in the early hours of Saturday morning, spending the night with family.

While the weather had eased, people in Mangatokerau, Wharekaka and Mangatuna should think about their evacuation plans as more rain was forecast overnight.

People should consider leaving during daylight as it was harder to evacuate at night, she said. The rivers had risen extremely quickly overnight, rising as much as half a metre every 30 minutes at one point, but were falling much slower than usually, she said.

That led to flooding in areas which regularly flooded, such as near Koputarakihi. Bridges in the area were being checked, including the Mangatokerau Bridge which had a large amount of forestry slash built up underneath, she said.

That was an issue during the large 2018 floods in the region, with tonnes of slash cascading down rivers and blocking waterways under bridges.

Some residents in the Tolaga Bay region evacuated their homes on Saturday due to concerns around heavy rain and rising river levels. Five homes were cut off by flooding, but residents were safe.

Gisborne District Council said rain was easing in central Gisborne and Tolaga Bay, while the Hikuwai River level was decreasing.

Sensors in the river at Willowflat Bridge recorded it being 12.2 metres high at 10am, but dropping to 11.9m by 11am.Contractors were checking roads, and people should stay home if possible.

Civil defence was urging people not to travel unless absolutely necessary.

At 6am, the Hikuwai River was at 11.94m and was rising, which was close to the recorded flood level in June 2018.

Te Puia recorded a huge amount of rainfall, with 283mm of rain.

Kerr said one weather station in northern Waikato recorded 260mm of rain over a 24-hour period.

By 11am, only one MetService weather watch remained – a heavy rain rain watch for the Hawke's Bay Ranges.

NZ Transport Agency said State Highway 35 was closed between Te Puia Springs and Tolaga Bay due to flooding. State Highway 2 south of Nicks Head Station near Muriwai is down to one lane with traffic management due to a slip.

Coromandel

MetService meteorologist Rob Kerr said the Coromandel experienced heavy rain into the evening on Friday, but that stopped about 9pm.

Since then it had been dry, but Kerr said there was the occasional shower that might affect the region on Saturday and Sunday.

A further two slips came down on SH25 from Whangamata to Hikuai closing the road on Friday evening, and SH 25A from Kopu to Hikuai remained closed due to a slip on Thursday.

Road Closures

State highway road closures:

- SH1 is closed through the Mangamuka Gorge between Okaihau and Victoria Valley Rd by slips and flooding.

- SH1 reduced to one lane by flooding at Whakapara.

- SH11 flooding at Taumarere between Opua and Kawakawa.

- SH12 flooding at Taheke Bridge.

- SH15 flooding at Poroti.

- SH16 at Makarua a tree has come down, bringing down a power line and partially blocking the road.