Auckland braces for another massive downpour on Tuesday

Monday, 30 January 2023

Aucklanders face no respite as more heavy rain is set to lash the region after Friday’s record-breaking downpour.

“Stay home if you can … stay safe, including when driving. Stay away from areas which might slip and do not go into flooded waters,” Mayor Wayne Brown said at a 3pm briefing. “Follow the instructions of the emergency services.”

MetService has issued a red heavy rain warning for Northland for 27 hours from 3am Tuesday, Auckland north of Orewa for 15 hours from 4pm Tuesday, and the Coromandel Peninsula for 21 hours from 7pm Tuesday.

An orange heavy rain warning has been issued for Auckland from Orewa south and Great Barrier Island for 15 hours from 6pm Tuesday and Bay of Plenty for 24 hours from 3am Wednesday.

**READ MORE:

* Why you might not have received an Auckland emergency alert

* Auckland floods: Unprecedented rain not an excuse for poor management, expert says

* Auckland floods: Who's who in the disaster response

**

A watch for severe northeast gales is also in place for Northland and Auckland.

Preparations were being made to ensure the city could withstand the oncoming weather – and the Defence Force will from today help with the clean-up.

Fifty soldiers – two teams of 25 – will work with the council’s clean-up crews in areas that have the most need.

But Auckland Emergency Management deputy controller Rachel Kelleher​ said it would still be a “big challenge”.

“The last couple of days have really tested us, but we're working really closely with emergency response and our agency partners that manage all aspects of infrastructure and lifeline utility.

She said additional resources had been provided to Fire and Emergency to make sure it could respond and had specialist services focused on water recovery.

“We have got a lot of people out on the ground doing the best they can to get roads and drains clear. We have people working to clear trees which have fallen and been identified as high risk.

“A lot of focus has also been on reinstating our water supply in different areas. There's a lot of work happening on the ground.”

Kelleher said teams were working “really hard” to clear several roads which had been blocked by slips, as well as clearing storm-related debris.

She said infrastructure improvements would be addressed once the emergency response was over.

“Our focus is on the here and now and making sure we're doing the things we need, to keep people safe right now.”

“We're not out of the woods in terms of needing to be geared up for things that might arise as a result of more rain coming.”

Brown on Monday accepted some communications put out during the flood, “including mine and my office”, were “not good enough” and said he was commissioning a full review into the response.

The mayor also said he had asked the prime minster for more senior National Emergency Management Agency communications staff, “to ensure we do better”.

The weather ahead

MetService said there could be another 100mm of rain from late Tuesday into Wednesday, with a possibility of up to 120mm in some places.

Flood warnings are not easing for localised parts of Northland, especially north of Whangārei, forecast to receive more than 200mm of rain in about 24 hours from Monday morning.

MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths​ said the risk period was from about 6pm on Tuesday through to dawn on Wednesday with the rain spreading in from the north.

“Additionally, we're going to see some high intensity rainfall reaching about 25-40 mm an hour which no matter where they happen in the Auckland region, will cause localised flooding and impact.”

Griffiths said the concern was that Auckland’s terrain was really vulnerable as the “rivers and ground waters are up”.

However, she said this was a “very small” rain warning compared with others, and the amount of rain, would not look like Friday.

“But we know it doesn't need to. Auckland is vulnerable.”

What still needs fixing?

• At least 5000 Auckland properties are being assessed for flood or landslide damage.

• 500 Aucklanders have requested accommodation assistance with more than 80 staying in emergency accommodation.

• 40 properties have been red-stickered as experts assess the ongoing slip risk to houses.

• 247 households on Kawau Island are still left without power after a power pole came down on the island in a dense area of bush during the floods Restoration is expected on Wednesday or Thursday depending on the weather.

• About 1000 homes in West Auckland are still without water, with authorities warning services will come and go in some suburbs over the coming days.

• Surface flooding and slips from a weekend of torrential rain have forced numerous road closures across Auckland and the upper North Island. An Auckland Transport spokesperson said crews were working to clear slips to restore the roads.

• Western and Eastern train lines have had slips and therefore services will be affected. An Auckland Transport spokesperson said Kiwirail was continuing to work to clear those tracks and restore services.

• Four of the city’s sewage pumping stations are expected to be out for a week, causing wastewater spills into the harbour. The council company Watercare said four of ten pumping stations had been flooded, damaging machinery and electronic control systems, some of which are irreparable.

Safety advice

• Aucklanders are being advised to avoid swimming in beaches due to possible contamination. Auckland Council has advised no beaches were safe for swimming following Friday’s floods. More information can be found on the safeswim website.

• Auckland Council has received reports of debris washing down to coastal areas. Care should be taken if out on boats and in the water, a spokesperson said.

• Some of the debris could be contaminated with waste water. The council urged Aucklanders to take care and wear protective gloves during cleanup.

• Auckland Transport is requesting Aucklanders think about and plan their travel in advance and travel only when absolutely necessary.

• Wind warnings are in place for Tuesday, meaning there's potential for closures to the Auckland Harbour bridge. Motorists are advised to take care and drive to the conditions of the road.

• Auckland council is advising not to play in floodwaters. “Even shallow flood can present a significant risk. It doesn't need to be deep to be dangerous,” a spokesperson said.