Flooding on SH16 in Kaipara after days of heavy rain. Photo / Michael Craig
Far North Deputy Mayor Kelly Stratford has no regrets about calling a State of Emergency, just gratitude that the storm skirted around Northland instead of landing a direct hit.
On Tuesday afternoon, facing overnight predictions of up to 140mm rain on an already-sodden region, with thunderstorms and high winds, Northland Civil Defence declared a State of Emergency, giving rescuers extra powers such as the right to order evacuations and close roads.
It was lifted at 10am on Wednesday after the worst of the weather bypassed Northland and gave Auckland another drubbing instead.
Stratford, who chairs the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group, said it was the right decision based on the information at the time.
“We are grateful we did not see the full effects of the storm, which skirted around us. It was really good to see the positive way people responded. I’m very appreciative of all the volunteer responders and all the communities that were ready and poised.”
Stratford said the declaration gave reassurance to people across Northland, many of whom didn’t realise an emergency could be declared when the risks were apparent “rather than having to wait until people are already in dire straits”.
Northland CDEM controller Graeme MacDonald said the response by partner agencies - emergency services, councils, contractors, health and welfare agencies, community groups and iwi - had been one of the biggest exercises in advance preparation he’d ever seen in Northland.
Emergency services had brought in extra equipment and personnel, concentrating on areas badly hit in the past.
That included a specialist urban Search and Rescue team to back up Kaitāia’s full force of 36 volunteer firefighters overnight.
However, no major flooding had been reported by the time MetService’s warnings were lifted at 4am on Wednesday.
A State of Emergency was normally declared for seven days but by yesterday morning there was no need for it to continue, MacDonald said.
As of last night only a few roads remained closed. SH1 over the Brynderwyns was to have reopened to northbound traffic from 4-8pm yesterday, but a recurring slip saw the partial opening delayed to 6pm and then abandoned altogether.
While SH1 is closed light traffic can travel via Kaiwaka and Mangawhai, but trucks have to detour via SH12 and SH14.
Around Northland many marae stayed open all night in case anyone needed refuge. Mōkau Marae, near Ōakura, took in three families whose homes were at risk.
The wild weather cut power and communications in some areas with 1800 Far North households and 1675 in Waipū and Mangawhai left in the dark during the storm. A large slip about 8km south of Kaitāia on Tuesday severed two fibre-optic cables, cutting cellphone, landline and internet services to large swathes of North Hokianga. Chorus technicians managed to repair the cables by 4pm yesterday.
The wettest place in Northland in the 24 hours to 7am yesterday was Marsden Pt with 83.6mm of rain. The highest total for the previous seven days was recorded at Hakaru, near Mangawhai, with a whopping 302mm. Kerikeri recorded 290.5mm and Brynderwyn 263.5mm.
The heaviest rain, 30mm/h, fell in Whangārei from 10-11pm on Tuesday.
The Bay of Islands economy took a hit from the storm when four cruise ships were forced to abandon visits and a fifth cut its stay short. They had a combined 5667 passengers on board.
A number of schools remained closed around Northland yesterday but most are due to reopen today.
MetService meteorologist Jessie Owen said another front was due to pass over Northland on Sunday but by Waitangi Day the weather should start to improve.
“All the warm, moist air should be cleared out by then. We might see some more rain on Monday morning but it should clear later in the day,” she said.
Stratford said one of the things that had become clear in recent days, as well as during past tsunami alerts, was “a huge gap” in public understanding of emergency management.
“It’s not just up to the council, it’s every individual person as well. When a big event hits, emergency services can’t get to everyone straight away. Every person has a role to play in being prepared and being aware of what to do in an emergency situation,” Stratford said.
In Northland those emergencies were most likely to be caused by tsunamis or floods.
This week’s State of Emergency was Northland’s first for a weather-related event since the devastating Far North floods of 2007.