Rivers dropping, clean-up begins

River levels in Northland are already dropping after the worst of the torrential rain moved south early this morning.

Around 280mm of torrential rain fell in the eastern hill country of Northland over 12-14 hours from 1pm on Friday.

The record-breaking rain - caused by the remains of Tropical Cyclone Wilma – saw Northland receive two-to-three times more than the average monthly rainfall overnight.

Flooding has caused substantial damage to the region’s road network and some water and sewage treatment plants.

The areas worst affected are along Northland’s east coast from Kaitaia in the north to Mangawhai in the south.

Tony Phipps, of the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group – which is monitoring the situation from its Whangarei-based Emergency Operations Centre – says the smaller catchments have receded quickly but some of the region’s larger rivers are still rising.

Mr Phipps says the region’s major river catchments such as Kaeo, Punakitere, Kawakawa, Waitangi, Wairua, Wairoa and Mangakahia, are all running at record levels and in most cases, spilling over into lower floodplain areas.

In the Far North, which bore the brunt of the storm, a number of local roads and state highways remain closed due to floodwaters, slips and fallen trees.

The Far North District Council (FNDC) says a number of areas have been affected by flooding, isolating some communities and causing a number of sewage overflows.

Paihia’s water treatment plant was also damaged and residents are being asked to conserve water over the next 24 hours.

There are also power outages at Taupo Bay, Kaeo, Matawaia and Hihi.

Around 70 people from Kaeo through to Kawakawa are in temporary welfare centres after being evacuated from their homes overnight due to rising floodwaters.

In the Whangarei District, local authorities say a number of roads remain affected by the weather, either due to slips or felled trees, and road crews are now out trying to return things to normal.

Mr Phipps says the Far North and Whangarei District Councils are doing the best they can to assess and repair all road damage today and return everything back to normal. However he does warn that some repairs may take some time.

Northland Regional Council Hydrologists say river levels in the Mid and Far North are generally falling now after peaking overnight and early this morning, in some cases up to 15 metres above normal levels.

Mr Phipps says staff will continue to monitor the situation and keep a wary eye on river levels in the Kaipara area, because of the volumes of water still making their way into the already rain-swollen Wairua and Mangakahia Rivers.

Although the worst of the rain has passed, Mr Phipps says a number of roads are still impassable or affected by water, slips, trees and other debris, and is urging people to stay off the region’s roads today.

Road closure information for the state highway network can be checked on the AA Roadwatch website www.aaroadwatch.co.nz and Whangarei District Council is providing local road updates on its website www.wdc.govt.nz

Alternatively, you can telephone Far North District Council on 0800 920 029 or Whangarei District Council 0800 932 463 for local road closure information.

Mr Phipps says while the immediate threats to people from the storm appear to be over, concerns remain about the health implications from potentially sewage-contaminated floodwaters and harbours.

He warns about the health risks from swimming or collecting shellfish from the region’s harbours over the next couple of days.

Boaties are also being warned to keep an eye out for any debris or navigational hazards around our harbours and coastline over the coming days.

River and rainfall data from throughout Northland is also automatically posted at two-hourly intervals on the Regional Council’s website www.nrc.govt.nz/riversandrain