Far North residents spend hours in big clean-up of flooded homes

Northlanders are spending the day cleaning up lawns and homes flooded in yesterday’s downpour that forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents.

The region was hit with 230 to 280mm of rain last night, displacing some 500 locals.

A state of emergency is in place for the Far North and Whangārei districts until Wednesday.

Sandra Shackleton’s 91-year-old father was evacuated from his Kaitāia home, wading through floodwater with his walker.

Civil Defence staff evacuated homes on Donald Rd as heavy rainfall caused the street to flood last night.

Shackleton’s dad was in such a rush to leave that he did not bring his phone with him.

Sandra Shackleton helped to clean up her 91-year-old father's house after he was evacuated due to flooding. Photo / Jason Dorday

Unable to call her dad, Shackelton searched a local college where she heard evacuated people were being sheltered and was “relieved” to find him.

She told the Herald the situation was “overwhelming” for her father, but that he was doing okay. Some water went under his house but inside stayed dry.

“We’re just waiting on a team of builders to come through ... We’ve just had the civil defence and district council people doing a welfare check.”

Kaitāia resident Cecil Walker was evacuated from his home, also on Donald Rd, around 9.30pm, as knee-high water filled his front yard.

Emergency services took him to a family member’s home to stay the night.

He got back to his house at 7.30am today.

Yesterday’s flood was the worst Walker had seen since he moved into the property in 2006.

Cecil Walker in his house in Donalds Lane after flooding in Kaitāia. Photo / Jason Dorday

Rain started falling more heavily in the late afternoon, Walker said.

“The flooding didn’t happen until around 7pm.”

Meanwhile, Wesleydale Memorial Church in Kāeo went several feet under water as the rain picked up yesterday evening.

Whangaroa County Museum manager Glenys Grace said it took longer to drain this time round compared to in other floodings.

“Usually, the next day it’s down a lot more than this but I think the ground is a lot more wet because we’ve had so much rain.”

She said the area is no stranger to a downpour.

Glenys Grace by the flooded Wesleydale Memorial Church in Kāeo, Northland. Photo / Jason Dorday

“We had a big flooding in 2007, all the pews were floating ... they’re solid kauri, so it has to be pretty deep.

“When there’s a lot of rain it fills up the river and then the water gets trapped and has nowhere to go.”

Grace said the church organs and Sunday school hall had been built purposefully higher to stay dry.

Contractors tried to reroute the nearby river to mitigate flooding.

Far North District Council has opened a Mayoral Relief Fund to support people impacted by yesterday’s weather event, which caused widespread disruption and damage to parts of the region.

The initiative “aims to provide timely financial relief to those facing immediate hardship following the severe weather”.