A severe weather warning is in place for parts of the Wellington region. Image / Screenshot
Some coastal communities in Wairarapa have been cut off by landslips and flooding, while MetService has issued a new severe weather warning for the Wellington region.
New Zealand Defence Force military trucks could be deployed to get food and water supplies to those who are isolated by the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
An orange heavy rain warning is in place for the eastern hills of Wellington and in Wairarapa south of Masterton from 10pm tonight until 6pm tomorrow.
Up to 100mm of rain could fall and MetService has warned this may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous.
Wellington Region Emergency Management (WREMO) said while the majority of Cyclone Gabrielle’s impacts have been felt further north, some local communities like those in Wairarapa have been impacted by the weather.
“There have been some power outages, landslips and flooding blocking roads & isolating some coastal communities. Wairarapa councils are maintaining communication and providing support where needed. Work is being done to reopen the roads once it is safe to do so.”
WREMO regional manager Jeremy Holmes said eastern Wairarapa was the hardest hit and the rest of the region was looking pretty good.
“Overall I think we are pretty fortunate compared to the impacts we’ve seen further north but at the same time we are continuing to monitor the situation.
“In the Wairarapa, they are working hard to reconnect those communities and get them up and running as quickly as we possibly can.”
The worst case scenario was that it would take between three and five days before full access was restored, Holmes said.
Holmes said there have been talks with the Defence Force about getting army trucks, which can navigate higher water levels, to deliver food and water supplies to those who are cut off.
River levels were expected to drop before rising again to similar levels to yesterday.
The ground was saturated so it wouldn’t be unusual for more landslips and trees to come down too, Holmes said.
Masterton District Council mayor Gary Caffell told Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills communities in Tīnui, Castlepoint, Riversdale and Whareama were isolated.
Caffell said power outages were affecting the treatment plant and pumps at Tīnui and residents were asked to conserve water and fill containers in case of outages.
Tumapuhia-a-rangi Marae is open for residents.
Caffell said they would know more about the extent of the damage after a helicopter surveyed the district this morning.
“We’ve all got our fingers and toes and everything crossed the worst has been seen but we’re not taking anything for granted in that respect.”
Wairarapa Federated Farmers president David Hayes said there was a lot of damage on farms which has been building up over the course of a year of bad weather.
“The soil is so soaked and so vulnerable because of all the wet conditions for many many months... there will be more slips, damage to fence lines, damage to tracks, damage to roads that have been repaired and are now damaged again.”
He said the township of Tīnui was underwater yesterday.
The main priority for everybody at the moment was to keep safe, Hayes said.
“At least with the cyclone, there’s been plenty of warning this time so it’s given farmers the opportunity to deal with the most obvious things and try to move stock ahead of time.”
Horizons Regional Council opened the Moutoa floodgates between Foxton and Shannon this morning to relieve pressure on the bottom steam of the Manawatū River.
Horowhenua District Council is sending support to Central Hawke’s Bay, which has been hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Three experienced incident management team members and two local building inspectors have travelled there with a truckload of bottled water.
The council said water tankers were also on the way.
Civil Defence emergency management controller Brent Harvey said they were feeling lucky to have avoided the worst of the weather in Horowhenua.
”We are not expecting any further impact from the Cyclone, but want to acknowledge our community’s response to the weather event by checking their supplies, clearing gutters, tying down trampolines and outdoor furniture, delaying travel plans and caring for one another. Disaster can hit at any time, and it’s important to be prepared.”