Labour MP Ginny Andersen ‘incredibly lucky’ after tree crashes onto home during wild weather

Labour MP Ginny Andersen says she’s “incredibly lucky” to escape without major damage after a tree came crashing down on her home when wild winds hit the capital.

Thousands of residents are still without power across the lower North Island, days after a fierce storm battered regions.

The list MP, who lives in Hutt South, told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking it was “incredibly lucky” the downed tree landed near a deck area, and that no windows were broken.

“It’s a bit hard to sleep because I’m wondering if the tree is going to come through the roof or not.”

Andersen said there were significant queues in the region for cranes and other clean-up resources.

“You come to the Hutt and everyone has a tree on their roof ... the whole area is affected.”

As the clean up continues from the days-long storm, close to 3000 properties are affected by outages across Manawatū, Whanganui and Wairarapa, the power distributor PowerCo’s website shows this morning.

In the greater Wellington region, a further 560 customers are without power, with restoration times ranging between 3 and 11 hours, according to Wellington Electricity’s website.

A handful of properties remain without electricity in Coromandel from when the storm first hit on Saturday.

An update from Civil Defence Manawatū Whanganui yesterday said lines companies were working extremely hard across the country to restore power.

Several roads across the North Island remain closed or have warnings because of fallen trees, slips and flooding.

The bridge that crosses the Hurupi Stream in South Wairarapa has been deemed unsafe by the district council and not fit for travel.

The bridge that crosses the Hurupi Stream on Cape Palliser Rd has been deemed structurally unsafe. Photo / South Wairarapa District Council.

It said: “The bridge, often referred to as the Banana bridge, could pose a serious safety risk.

“The bridge must not be used under any circumstances until it has been inspected and formally cleared by a qualified engineer.”

Also in South Wairarapa, a section of Ferry Lake Rd remains closed after a part of the nearby Turanganui Bridge was washed out during the severe weather.

A damaged bridge in South Wairarapa. Photo / South Wairarapa District Council

On Monday, winds brought trees down on houses and blocked roads across the lower North Island, with a 193km/h gust measured in Wellington.

The Rangitīkei, Ōtorohanga, Waipā, Tararua and Manawatū Districts all declared States of Emergency.

Twenty vehicles were trapped for several hours between a slip and a flood on the remote Turakina Valley Rd with no cell coverage.

They were later freed by a farmer who cleared a path with his tractor.

Lower Hutt was affected by widespread flooding, and people in Ōhingaiti were forced to sleep in their cars after fallen trees closed off the town.