Watch live: Minister gives update on storm-ravaged Hawke's Bay, East Coast

Author: Jamie Morton,
Publish Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2024, 7:07am

- A State of Emergency was declared in Wairoa, Haumoana and Heretaunga as heavy rain hit, prompting hundreds of evacuations.

- Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell is in the area and due to provide an update at 2pm.

- Waipaoa and Wairoa Rivers surged past danger levels, leading to widespread flood warnings, including emergency mobile alerts.

- Roads, including State Highway 35, closed due to flooding and slips.

- Heavy rain warnings remain in place until 9pm with more rain expected tomorrow.

A storm-hit East Coast is beginning to emerge from heavy rain and flooding that’s forced hundreds of evacuations and left hundreds of homes without power.

Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell was assessing damage in Hawke’s Bay, Wairoa and Tairawhiti – where more than 200mm of rain has fallen within 24 hours in some places – and is due to front a media conference alongside Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst at 2pm.

State highways on the North Island’s east coast are this afternoon blocked by flooding and slips leaving coastal communities isolated.

More than two months’ worth of rain has fallen in parts of Tairāwhiti over the past 24 hours with more forecast in coming hours. River flows are forecast to remain extremely high through tonight for many eastern North Island rivers and streams.

In Wairoa, the risk of flooding from a swollen and rising river prompted local officials to order the evacuation of more than 100 people and shut down the town’s sub-stations.

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Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell is flying to storm-hit eastern regions this morning to survey damage and speak to mayors. Mitchell was expected to land in Napier before holding a meeting with the region’s mayors. He then intended to travelling north to Wairoa.

A speed sign has washed up at Te Awanga Beach. Photo / Paul Taylor

Residents were being encouraged to stay home, and asked not to drive around flooded areas, as vehicles were causing waves that were pushing into houses.

“Severe weather is also impacting council water infrastructure and people are asked to please stay away from any flood water and to treat it as if it is contaminated,” said Little.

He urged people to “stay vigilant and watchful” and evacuate if they needed to and could do so safely.

“Please stay calm, we are doing everything we can to protect our people and have involved as many services as possible to help.”

Firstlight Network said it was responding to “widespread outages” across the region from south of Wairoa to Te Araroa, with an estimated 1500 properties without power.

“Our team is working to restore power as quickly as possible, however with wind and rain that has hammered the area over the past 24 hours, access is restricted due to road closures, swollen rivers and major slips,” the company’s operations manager George Drysdale said.

“In Wairoa, people are without power due to a substation which has been temporarily flooded due to the high tide and swollen Wairoa river. We are currently waiting for water to reside before power can be restored, which will hopefully be later this morning.”

An area of Haumoana at Beach Rd. Photo / Paul Taylor

The coast at Haumoana. A slow-moving storm has smashed the Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay regions overnight, bringing rough seas, gale-force winds and heavy rain, with more to come today. New Zealand Herald photograph by Paul Taylor 26 June 2024.

The slow-moving storm has smashed the Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay regions overnight, bringing two months’ worth of rain in some areas that has caused flooding, rough seas and gale-force winds, with more to come today.

A local state of emergency has also been declared in Heretaunga in Hawke’s Bay.

The wind and rain has been hammering the area from East Coast to the Wharerata hills south of Gisborne, with around 200mm of rain in some areas in the past 24 hours.

A State of Emergency has been declared in the Heretaunga ward of the Hastings district due to coastal inundation in Haumoana, where the sea has inundated the land.

In Te Karaka, where the Waipaoa River has been rising, levels have topped 8m. The township - which was devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle - is now inaccessible. Just before 6am, Te Karaka residents received a Civil Defence emergency alert warning them to evacuate immediately.

Some households in Gisborne city were also being urged to evacuate as the Waimata River rose. The Hikuwai River in Tolaga Bay is also high, with one Tolaga Bay rain gauge receiving more than 285mm of rain since Sunday.

In northern Hawke’s Bay, the Wairoa River has risen higher than expected, hitting the orange five-year flooding level at the town bridge around 5am and now at red level, according to Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz). The district council has told locals to self-evacuate to the War Memorial Hall.

Fenz central shift manager Murray Dunbar says the fire service has been called to help in Wairoa, where the district council wants assistance evacuating people near the mouth of the river.

At 6.10am, Wairoa locals received an emergency mobile alert warnings those in streets near the river: “LEAVE NOW. There is serious flooding in Wairoa. River levels rising rapidly.”

Kopu Rd, Wairoa, 300 metres downstream of the tennis club. A slow-moving storm has smashed the Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay regions overnight, bringing rough seas, gale-force winds and heavy rain, with more to come today. Photo / Hawke's Bay Regional Council.

Those evacuating are warned not to walk through floodwaters, which may have washed away parts of the road and could be contaminated.

Fenz has also been asked to help with evacuations in Haumoana. A state of emergency has been declared in the local ward of Heretaunga, with police knocking on doors and asking residents to evacuate. The local council is warning of heavy swells in the area, with the rising tide due to peak at 8.30am.

At least seven roads north of Gisborne, including State Highway 35, have been closed due to flooding, slips and collapsed banks, while many other roads are damaged. SH35 is closed between between Uawa and Okitu.

The Portland marine area has also had its first red alert amid the storm, with potential wave heights of over 8m offshore of the Mahia Peninsula, where three fishermen are still missing after their boat is thought to have capsized.

Gale-force winds peaked last night with gusts over 100km/h and an average wind speed of almost 70km/h. This morning gusts were still reaching 76km/h.

The weather was so rough last night that two Air New Zealand flights, from Wellington and Auckland, had to turn back around 8pm.

Fenz shift manager Murray Dunbar said there had been around 12 weather jobs overnight around Gisborne area, including a couple of flying trampolines, a roof that was blown off, a window blown in and a tree that fell on a house.