Cyclone Gabrielle: Rescue teams, army heading into Northland

Urban Search and Rescue teams, a water rescue crew and army Unimog trucks are among the extra resources on their way to Northland ahead of the expected landfall of Cyclone Gabrielle.

An extensive Emergency Operations Centre has been set up at the Far North District Council’s headquarters in Kaikohe, in case Gabrielle is as fierce as forecasters expect, and Fire and Emergency (Fenz) is readying an incident management centre in Kaitāia.

The Whangārei District Council has also set up an Emergency Operations Centre in case it is needed.

As of 5pm yesterday MetService said the storm could bring 200mm to 300mm of rain along with severe gales.

A heavy rain watch was in place for Northland and Auckland from 1am on Sunday to noon on Tuesday, while a strong wind watch applied from noon on Sunday to midnight on Tuesday.

Much uncertainty remained around Gabrielle’s timing and path, but MetService expected to upgrade its weather watches to warnings at some point this weekend.

There was no word yesterday whether a state of emergency would be declared, as occurred two weeks earlier when a major storm was predicted but skirted around Northland instead.

Fenz Northland manager Wipari Henwood said one team of Urban Search and Rescue experts, with six to seven members, would be deployed to Kaitāia, which was particularly vulnerable to flooding, and another in Whangārei.

He believed the Whangārei crew would be able to reach Kawakawa-Moerewa, even if main roads were closed, if help was needed there.

They could be deployed to rescue people from slips or buildings and to assist with evacuations. After a flood they could also help assess damaged buildings.

The cyclone coincides with an urgent need for help in Turkey, with another Kiwi Urban Search and Rescue team expected to be deployed to the earthquake zone.

Kelly Stratford, Far North Deputy Mayor and chairwoman of the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group, and Far North Mayor Moko Tepania in the Emergency Operations Centre set up in Kaikohe yesterday. Photo / Supplied

An Auckland-based water rescue team was also heading to Northland with a rescue boat, Henwood said.

They would be based in Kawakawa during their first-ever Northland deployment.

Fire brigades around the region had been contacted and all volunteers were expected to be on deck.

An incident management centre would be set up at Kaitāia Fire Station with some staff possibly based at the police station as well. The centre would bring together police, Fenz, Civil Defence, health and other agencies.

Northland Civil Defence had also asked the Defence Force for three Unimogs, army trucks capable of negotiating deep floodwaters. One each would be based in Kaitāia, Kawakawa and Whangārei.

Emergency services in Kaitaia would also have access to other equipment such as a forestry firm’s Unimog.

Henwood urged Northlanders to pay close attention to the weather forecast as the cyclone drew closer.

“We ask people to stay put — very strong winds make it dangerous to be out and about — and don’t drive through flooded roads.”

MetService weather watches as of 2pm yesterday. Image / MetService

Northland Civil Defence controller Graeme MacDonald said flooding and slips were likely to close roads while high winds could bring down trees, causing power outages and more driving hazards.

On Friday Civil Defence met Northland’s three district councils, emergency services and other stakeholders.

“We’re all working on increasing our resources and ensuring they are strategically placed around the region so we can respond effectively as required.”

MacDonald said it was “great to see” Northlanders rally together during the last red heavy rain warning and urged them to again take the time to prepare for severe weather.

Hato Hone St John national ambulance controller Stuart Cockburn said resources would be proactively moved into areas predicted to be hardest hit.

St John also had back-up generators, vehicles and IT support ready in case infrastructure was damaged by the cyclone.

Where possible, frontline staff would assess and treat patients at the scene to avoid transporting them through flooding, he said.

Muscle power, plus a towline from a Coastguard Bay of Islands rescue vessel, frees a beached launch from the sand at Paihia after a storm in August last year. Photo / Peter de Graaf

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Northland harbourmaster Jim Lyle said boat owners had only today left to make sure their vessels were securely moored or anchored in a sheltered spot.

If predictions of 50-knot easterly winds proved correct, significant damage would result.

“If you don’t need to go out, don’t. It’s not a good time to go fishing. And if you’re at anchor or living aboard your boat ... find yourself a place that’s tucked in and sheltered from the easterlies and southeasterlies, and then watch out as it comes around to the southwest as well.”

Lyle urged boaties with swing moorings to check the headline was properly attached to the boat and anti-chafe gear was in place to prevent the mooring line wearing through.

If a vessel was at anchor, it was better to stay on board than leave the boat and hope for the best. That way the skipper could run the engine and steam against the wind to take weight off the anchor cable, he said.

Fenz Urban Search and Rescue members check out a street in West Auckland after the last storm less than two weeks ago. Photo / Dean Purcell

Northland’s lines companies are also bracing for a busy few days.

Northpower, which serves the Whangārei-Kaipara area, and Top Energy, which covers the Far North, is both rostering on extra line and vegetation crews.

A Northpower spokesman recommended preparing for outages by making sure the gas bottle for the barbecue was full, keeping alternative forms of lighting in a handy place along with spare batteries, and ensuring devices such as phones were fully charged.

Supermarkets in Whangārei were busy yesterday with locals stocking up on essentials, but New World Regent owner Eric Rush said he hadn’t seen many customers buying up large ahead of the cyclone.

The store had plenty of essentials such as toilet paper and bottled water.

People seemed more relaxed than when a state of emergency was declared during the last storm on January 31, he said.

Supermarkets visited by the Advocate around lunchtime on Friday were busy but there were few empty shelves. A number of customers were seen buying large packs of toilet paper and bottled water.

Pak’n Save Whangārei was particularly hectic with no space in the carpark and long queues at the checkouts. One customer said it was “like everyone’s gone mad”.

Members of Fenz Urban Search and Rescue check out a slip triggered by torrential rain in Auckland less than two weeks ago. Photo / Dean Purcell

The Whangārei District Council announced it would pre-emptively close Morningside’s Kaka St, which has flooded several times in the past year.

The move was welcomed by some Kaka St business owners who said wakes from trucks and 4x4s worsened flooding in their buildings.

The council said “sucker trucks” were clearing drains and culverts in high-risk areas and contractors would be available 24 hours.

Schools across Northland are at this stage planning to stay open next week. Parents and caregivers will be updated if that changes.