Bay of Plenty Civil Defence is warning people to consider self-evacuation ahead of the return of a king tide due in Tauranga at 11pm. Photo/John Cousins
Bay of Plenty Civil Defence is advising people to consider self-evacuation ahead of tonight's king tide.
While the severe rain has eased, the main risks were now high winds and coastal inundation caused by large swells and the king tide.
The king tide earlier today at 10.40am caused flooding to
a number of coastal areas throughout Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty. Tonight's king tide may have a similar result – but could affect different areas depending on the wind direction, Civil Defence said.
Controller Eric Newman said Civil Defence was working to mitigate the risk but people should consider self-evacuating if they were adversely affected earlier today.
"High winds and the high tide today caused flooding and coastal inundation in many areas. We are expecting a similar result tonight at high tide at 11pm and combined with rising rivers and streams we're advising people who are worried to consider acting early and self-evacuate before this happens again in the dark."
People are advised to have an evacuation plan in place – including for pets – and a supply of fresh food, water and clothes, avoid unessential travel through low lying areas and stay away from beaches and streams as significant coastal swells are expected.
"Our secondary risk is due to the strong winds – in some places getting up to 120km/h. This is causing a number of trees to fall across roadways. If you see this please do not attempt to remove these yourself – if you call your council, qualified contractors with the right equipment will do this," Newman said.
