Cyclone Gabrielle not running out of puff in Taranaki, Civil Defence warns

Tuesday, 14 February 2023

A map of power outages in Taranaki as of 11.15am on Tuesday, as shown on the Powerco website.

While it may feel Cyclone Gabrielle is running out of puff in Taranaki, Civil Defence has warned people the wind could still pick up again.

At just after noon on Tuesday, Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management warned people that gusts of up to 140kph were still possible in the region.

“While it may feel like Cyclone Gabrielle is running out of puff in some areas, MetService New Zealand has extended our red warning out until 10pm tonight so she is just getting her second wind,” they posted on Facebook.

The warning comes as thousands of homes across the region are still without power.

* Aucklanders seen surfing as Cyclone Gabrielle descends on region

* Cyclone Gabrielle: Taranaki wind warning upgraded to red, warning that it could be similar to Cyclone Bola

At 11.30am on Tuesday lines company Powerco said there were 6,230 customers in Taranaki without power. and by 4.30pm that had reduced to just over 3000.

At 7am there had been 10,781 households across the region without power.

Areas affected are spread all across Taranaki.

Powerco head of network operations Caz Haydon said reconnecting customers continued to be the priority but the ongoing stormy weather was posing challenges.

“Until conditions settle and roads are cleared, our crews are unable to restore power for some of these outages,” they said in a statement.

At just after 5pm on Tueasday Waka Kotahi advised that State Highway 3 between Conway and Maata roads, South of Eltham, was closed while crews removed trees at risk of falling on the road.

A trampoline was blocking a driveway in Turangi Rd Tuesday morning. Fire and Emergency New Zealand has responded to several callouts in New Plymouth overnight, as Cyclone Gabrielle bears down on the city. (File photo)

The strong winds associated with Cyclone Gabrielle had made the poplar trees unstable, Waka Kotahi said in a press release, so they were being removed as soon as possible to reduce the risk to motorists.

A detour is in place via Maata St, Castle St and Conway Rd while the highway is closed.

On Monday, MetService upgraded the threat of high winds to red, issuing a strong wind warning for 24 hours from 6pm.

The tree on Bayly St in Waitara is just one of the many that has come down across Taranaki overnight.

This had since been extended to 9pm on Tuesday.

The plastic wrap on the Atkinson House was ripped apart by strong winds overnight Monday and into Tuesday morning, the result of Cyclone Gabrielle moving across the country.

With winds expected to gust up to 140kph, people were told to predict flying debris, power cuts and road closures.

As a result of the wild weather, which has included heavy rain, schools are closed across Taranaki on Tuesday, bus services have been cancelled and residents are advised to postpone any non-essential travel and shelter at home.

A national state of emergency was also announced early Tuesday.

A tree came down across Devon St West, partially blocking the road on Tuesday morning.

Taranaki Base Hospital has reduced services to essential clinical services only. Anyone with a planned visit for today will be contacted. Emergency Departments at both Taranaki Base Hospital and Hāwera Hospital remain open. Visit Te Whatu Ora ‐Taranaki for more details.

In New Plymouth, Puke Ariki Museum and Library is closed, community libraries and services centres at Inglewood, Oakura, Waitara and Bell Block are also closed, as is the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len-Lye Centre and Todd Energy Aquatic Centre and all New Plymouth District community pools.

The New Plymouth District Council has asked people to stay out of Pukekura Park, and off the city walkways, due to the danger posed by fallen debris.

It said crews are already out and about assisting with the clean-up.

Residents in some parts of New Plymouth might also notice a weaker water flow, which has been caused by a power outage at the Veale Rd reservoir pump station.

Roads closed in the district, as of 11.15am include; Carrington Rd near Plymouth Rd, Manutahi Rd between SH3A and Richmond Rd, Te Arei Rd between Richmond Rd and SH3, Baker Rd between Mangorei and Carrington Rds, and Parrs Rd near the corner of Frankley Rd.

Several emergency callouts to Fire and Emergency New Zealand were also logged overnight in New Plymouth, with most relating to fallen trees.

Winds in Taranaki have reached speeds of more than 100kph, with the Taranaki Regional Council’s site at Hillsborough recording gust of 110.1kph at 6am Tuesday.

As a result, the stretch of State Highway 3 between Waitara and Bell Block has a huge amount of vegetative debris, including fallen tree branches.

A toppled truck is blocking both lanes of SH3/Devon Rd between the Henwood Rd off ramp and Egmont Rd, after the vehicle rolled over about 5.20am on Tuesday.

Police are on the scene diverting traffic around the truck.

At 7.20am, emergency services were also dealing with a large fallen tree on Devon St West near Seaview Rd, which is blocking one side of the road.

Traffic lights are also out SH3 Devon Rd/Northgate and Sackville St in Fitzroy.

Flights in and out of New Plymouth have also been cancelled until 5:30pm Tuesday. All TSB branches in the region are closed for Tuesday, the bank told customers via email.

At 9am, Waitara’s shopping centre was fairly deserted, with much of McLean St covered in debris from fallen trees.

Other parts of the town were similarly affected.

A tree blocking Princess St near SH3 had to be cut and cleared by a tractor.

On Tuesday morning South Taranaki District Council communications manager Gerard Langford said the council staff had been prepared for the worst, but so far, the district was coping well.