Tairāwhiti Civil Defence group controller David Wilson said people should be on the alert because SH2 at Puha flooded once the Waipaoa River got over 6m high. However, evacuations at this stage seemed unlikely.
The Waimata River is also rising and being closely monitored and any residents who needed to evacuate would be sent an e-text.
Makarika School has moved to Rongoitekai Marae in Ruatoria because of flooding and Civil Defence is continuing to check with pharmacies in Gisborne each morning for any medications that need to be taken to residents up the coast.
Roading teams are assessing the region for any more damage.
"While we don't have any reports of damage so far, the region is saturated, so we are expecting to see some," Wilson said.
"Be careful out there. If you don't need to be out driving, stay home."
The Whareratas recorded the largest rainfall with 110mm within 24 hours, followed by the Waikaroa trig near Waimata Valley Rd with 105mm. Waerenga-O-Kuri and Gisborne Airport both collected 35mm of rain.
Rain is forecast to continue to fall across the city this morning with between 3 and 5mm an hour expected.
Parts of Wairoa have also been flooded after the significantly more rain than had been forecast, causing multiple slips and some roads, including Karaka and Kauri Sts in the Wairoa Township, to be underwater.
Contractors and staff were this morning working on restoring access and keeping it open, a Wairoa District Council Facebook post said.
Meanwhile MetService has issued a heavy rain watch for Gisborne and northern Hawke's Bay until 9pm because moist south to southeast winds are expected to bring further rain.
Rainfall rates were expected to reach between 10 to 15mm/h last night through to this morning with the rain falling on already saturated soil and could reach similar levels today.
‼️IMPORTANT NOTICE‼️
Mata and Ihungia roads near Raukūmara, are now closed to everyone except essential services until...
Posted by Tairāwhiti Civil Defence on Sunday, March 27, 2022
Heavy rain last week caused widespread damage in the Tairāwhiti region, cutting off areas from the rest of the country and washing away roads and bridges.
A number of roads remain closed, including parts of State Highway 35. Mata and Ihungia Rds near Raukūmara have been closed to everyone except essential services while the council carries out repairs. Waimata Valley Rd is also closed at the Back Ormond intersection because of surface flooding.
There is surface flooding in the Whatatutu area and river levels are expected to peak at 9am.
More slips are also likely in Tiniroto, which is open to residents only.
Traffic control is in place at the two state highway intersections between 6.30am and 5pm.
