State of emergency declared as rivers rise, roads are closed

A tractor tows a vehicle to safety on Whatatutu Road just past the turn-off from State Highway 2, yesterday afternoon. Picture supplied

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz declared a State of Emergency late yesterday afternoon as rivers rose and rain continued to fall across an already sodden region.

“This gives our whānau and community a chance to self-evacuate tomorrow and make preparations to ensure they are self-sufficient for at least the next three days,”she said.

The declaration gives Tairāwhiti Civil Defence emergency powers for the coordination of the emergency response given there is a significant amount of rain still to come.

People have already been self-evacuating from low-lying and flood-prone areas.

The township of Te Karaka was the first to be evacuated after the Waipaoa River at Kanakanaia exceeded 7.5m.

Some people managed to get into town to stay with whānau and friends, with others settling in at the Te Karaka Area School.

Roads across the region are flooding and residents are being asked to stay home.

SH2 north is closed between Ormond and Matawai, with parts of SH35 also shut. SH2 south Wairoa to Napier is also closed.

Welfare centres have been opened at Te Poho-o-Rāwiri Marae and the House of Breakthrough, with some rural marae also opening their doors.

There is concern about just how wet the ground is, with residents asked to call in any strange movement around their homes whether it be the land or structures.

MetService this afternoon issued a Red warning for the region with sustained rainfall expected through to Sunday.

MetService is forecasting 60-90mm of rainfall from midnight Thursday through to 6pm Friday. From Friday through to Sunday noon 200-300mm is forecast for areas north of Uawa with widespread heavy rainfall across the whole region.

Peak intensities could reach 15-25mm an hour.

Parts of Tairāwhiti have already recorded more than 100mm in the past 24 hours.

There are a significant number of landslides across the region with 61 local roads closed or significantly obstructed.”

The State of Emergency, which was declared at 4.45pm, remains in place for seven days.

River levels are being closely monitored and are updated every half an hour on the GDC website.

Check Tairāwhiti Civil Defence Facebook page for updates.

People wishing to sign up to receive flood alerts can do so through the council website.

People are asked to report any damage by filing a request for service by using the GDC FIX app on any smartphone, calling on 0800 653 800, email service@gdc.govt.nz or via the eFix service on the website.