Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown concedes he “dropped the ball” in response to the deluge that flooded the city last Friday - and has formally extended the state of emergency for another week.
The new declaration is for seven days, but Brown said it could be lifted sooner. His announcement came as heavy rain returned to Auckland earlier today.
The Mayor also acknowledged he “made mistakes” in his response to the deluge that struck the city last Friday night.
“I dropped the ball on Friday,” Brown said in a statement today.
”I was too slow to be seen. The communications weren’t fast enough, including mine. I am sorry.
“The priority now, ahead of the Waitangi long weekend, is to ensure that Aucklanders are safe, well-informed and well-supported.”
The Herald understands the extension is based on advice that an emergency still exists - which may cause distress and endanger the safety of the public and property in Auckland - and that this was not a one-off event last Friday given the further severe weather that struck on Tuesday.
The National Emergency Management Agency and the Auckland Emergency Management met yesterday afternoon to consider options and were satisfied an emergency still exists.
Heavy rain has been falling steadily in central Auckland areas into Friday afternoon as surface flooding returns to some parts of the city.
Surface flooding has returned in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga and around Eden Park, with the week’s heavy rain reactivating natural springs in the areas.
Strong winds were already buffeting Auckland last night, with wind speeds reaching 65km/h in parts of the city at 5pm. MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan said the rain expected overnight was a bigger risk: “We could see more severe impacts in any place where that does occur.”
AEM said Thursday and Friday would bring “perfect thunderstorm weather”.
“Our advice is to keep an eye on the rain radar on MetService’s website.”
MetService meteorologist Jessie Owen said that if thunderstorms were to occur, then they would be localised.
“My advice for Auckland is as always just to keep up with the current forecast, the watches and the warnings and heed the advice of your local council and emergency management,” said Owen.
🌧 Line of heavy rain moving over the Hauraki Gulf
— MetService (@MetService) February 2, 2023
⬇ This line will most likely miss Whangārei but will affect the Coromandel and western Bay of Plenty, then arrive in eastern parts of Auckland this evening
🌦 Heavy showers are still expected for parts of Auckland before then pic.twitter.com/p4KDKwCqEQ
Further weather watches and warnings are in effect for the North Island.
Eastern Northland south of the Bay of Islands is under a heavy rain watch from 10pm last through to 10am today.
The eastern areas of Auckland, the Hunua Ranges and the Coromandel Peninsula were also under heavy rain watches last night.
An orange heavy rain warning is in place for Bay of Plenty west of about Kawerau, including the Rotorua Lakes District, Western Bay of Plenty District and Tauranga City areas until 11am today.
AEM controller Rachel Kelleher said people needed to be “really vigilant” about weather conditions, especially if they were travelling for the long weekend.
Auckland Council building services manager Ian McCormick said his team had been “really impressed” by Aucklanders’ resilience and encouraged people to reach out if they needed support.
Auckland Transport’s Stacey van der Putten said 1867 flood-damaged cars had been towed across the city.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s monarch, King Charles III, has sent his “deepest condolences” to New Zealand following the devastating floods which have left four people dead.
In the King’s message, he said he had “long admired the strength and resourcefulness of New Zealanders”.
As cleanup efforts ramp up across Auckland, public transportation remains disrupted.
Rail services are running on reduced timetables with bus rail replacement services operating between Britomart and Newmarket and the Onehunga Line and Southern Line between Ōtāhuhu and Newmarket. Bus services are operating on all routes with extended journey times due to detours as a result of road closures.
Twenty-nine roads in the Auckland region remain closed due to damage.
Tāmaki Drive is one of the many roads still affected by slips and motorists are being told to “travel with care”. More than 550 staff are on the ground dealing with road maintenance, working to clear and open roads.
Due to massive slips and other damage, a number of state highways are still closed, and there are now extensive detours in place that will greatly lengthen travel times in the impacted areas, Waka Kotahi warned Waitangi weekend travellers.
SH23 to Raglan and SH1 from the Brynderwyns to Waipu both remain closed and are highly unlikely to open during the long weekend.
Due to damage, the Hibiscus Coast Highway on-ramp in Auckland is closed. To give drivers who must travel in the area a safe alternative to SH16, which is still impacted by flooding, the toll on the Northern Gateway will be suspended until February 10, or until the on-ramp is reopened.
SH25A in Coromandel has suffered major damage and will be closed for some time, with an update to be provided following geotechnical inspections next week.
Close to 200 Auckland buildings have been issued a red placard and close to 800 properties have been yellow stickered.
People cleaning out their homes affected by floodwaters are being reminded to wash their hands regularly and treat all items they handle as contaminated. Produce or items that have come into contact with floodwaters should be thrown out.
A Waitangi weekend swim will off the cards for Aucklanders if the sun does come out, due to health risks caused by the flood waters.
Auckland Council’s Safeswim programme manager Nick Vigar said although this would be frustrating for Aucklanders, the recent flood events had had a significant impact on our beaches. Flood waters had washed debris into our waterways and these hazards may still be in the water.
“Slips and cliff instability also put beaches at risk, with the threat of rockfall and debris falling onto the sand below. To keep everyone safe, we are asking Aucklanders to stay away from our beaches this long weekend to allow time for the water quality to improve and clean-ups to take place,” he added.
Yesterday, Auckland Council and Manukau Urban Māori Authority announced the cancellation of Waitangi ki Manukau at Hayman Park due to the park conditions.
January was Auckland’s wettest month since records began, according to NIWA meteorologists.
A total of 539mm of rain was recorded at Albert Park in the central city, smashing the previous monthly record of 420mm set in February 1869.
Over a half metre of rain fell in central Auckland in January 2023.
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) February 2, 2023
Putting that into context, it's:
45% of the annual average
260% of the summer average
850% of the January average
Records here date back to 1853, which makes this very significant. pic.twitter.com/0jYogAQ2PO
“Total January rainfall was more than twice the previous record for the month, contributing to an exceptionally wet summer and the wettest three months on record,” said Honorary Associate Professor Anthony Fowler from the School of Environment at University of Auckland.
“It was already a very wet January before the storm on the 27th, but that single event doubled the total over a single day. Rainfall intensities in the early evening, at the height of the storm, were quite astounding.”
NIWA described Friday’s rainfall as at least a 1-in-200-year event.
Much of the South Island is set to plunge below 0C tonight and tomorrow.