West Auckland starts big clean up after rain, floods

The clean-up has begun in Auckland suburbs hit hard by a massive storm that enveloped the city on Monday night forcing evacuations and cutting off roads and power.

But some roads remain closed and will cost millions to repair before they can be used again.

About 50 homes were evacuated after the storm, families fleeing in the night as floodwaters rose.

Firefighters used a jet ski to reach some who were trapped and surf lifesavers used IRBs to help rescue stranded people.

Civil Defence and NZDF were also called in to assist emergency services as calls for help escalated.

West Auckland's Kumeu, Huapai, Ranui, Piha and Henderson Valley were the worst hit with around 400 homes losing power.

Floodwaters are still causing trouble in the West Auckland area. Photo / Dean Purcell

The storm resulted in the most rain to hit Auckland in a single weather event since 2017. with 90mm coming down each hour at the storm's most ferocious moments.

A Vector spokesman said crews had "worked around the clock to restore power".

"Several areas including Piha and Bethells Beach had power restored on Tuesday evening," he said.

"The power was also back on in Huapai this morning after extensive flooding restricted our crews from accessing the area."

Vector wanted to acknowledge its hardworking crews working on the front line.

An Auckland Transport spokesman confirmed there were still five roads in the West Auckland area that remained closed.

"We are looking at a bill of $2 to $3 million to get them up and running again," he said.

"The one affecting the most people is Bethells Rd toward the beach. Part of the road is washed out and we are looking at options for getting temporary access across nearby private land.

"It is not safe to use the road."

A section of Bethells Rd is washed out following flooding in West Auckland. Photo / Supplied

He said Mountain Rd has a slip and there is also a slip on Lone Kauri Rd.

"Both of these could take some time to repair. There are two houses cut off on Lone Kauri Rd.

"There are slips on Te Henga Rd from Falls Rd to Bethells Rd, there is a detour available and Opanuku Rd has trees across it in a couple of places."

Five roads remain closed as a result of the flooding and slips in West Auckland. Photo / Supplied

There was some good news, however, for those still out on the road for essential travel. A section of State Highway 16 near Bradly Rd, south of Helensville, partially reopened Wednesday afternoon after flooding caused its closure the day earlier.

But motorists will still need to drive with caution while floodwaters continue to recede, warned Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

Today locals in West Auckland are doing what they can to get their homes habitable.

The water has largely receded from Kumeu town centre, leaving behind debris hanging off the tops of fences that were yesterday underwater.

The owners of businesses hit by the flooding are sweeping factory floors and removing silt and debris.

Leon England with his daughters Mckenna and Emeliya surveying the flood near Woodhill. Photo / Dean Purcell

Along State Highway 16, flood waters are still covering paddocks on both sides of the road and highway.

Farmer Thomas Grace has been this morning moving stock to higher ground near Kiwitahi Rd, which is also still underwater.

"I'm giving them some hay and dry land."

Grace, who has lived in the area since 1947, said 100ml fell in his rain gauge yesterday.

"I have lived here all my life and the flood yesterday would have been the highest, if not one of the highest I've seen."

Farmer Thomas Grace feeding livestock near Woodhill. Photo / Dean Purcell

He expected the water would recede right back within the next 36-48 hours. After that he said it would take a couple of good downpours to remove all the mud and debris.

His stock survived but not all were so lucky; one animal lay dead on the side of the road.

Charlotte Glidden, who owns a family-run print shop that has been in Kumeu for 30 years, woke up to a call from her landlord early Tuesday morning warning them that the property was flooding.

Her brother, who co-owns the business, and her father, who started it, raced to the building. Bowring Print wasn't in good shape.

With water flooded in the front but not the back, the men grabbed brooms and tried to sweep the water out as best they could to save the expensive printing equipment. They won't know how well it worked for another week - they want the equipment to fully dry out before they attempt to turn it on again. Large dehumidifiers were brought to the business today.

The business had already been hit hard by the Covid-19 lockdown, Glidden said. Now the wait for alert level 3 is all the more nerve-racking, with items that hadn't been picked up due to the lockdown soaked and needing to be re-printed.

"It's been pretty hard," she said. "This is just another thing to add to the list."

Bowring Print was one of the many businesses that suffered flood damage in Kumeu. Photo / Supplied

As residents and businesses assess the damage, Auckland Emergency Management officials are urging them to follow lockdown guidelines as best as possible now that the immediate danger has passed.

Deputy Controller Rachel Kelleher said the agency has spent the day assessing damage and attempted to get a better understanding of how many people were displaced.

"We believe that a lot of people are either sheltering in place or have turned to whanau and friends for support, which is great," she said. "However, we do need to remind people that we are still in alert level 4."

Among the advice: Postpone any non-essential parts of the clean-up until after the alert level shift and don't have big gatherings of helpers, sticking to "the neighbours or whanau that you broke your bubble with initially where possible". It is okay to have tradespeople such as plumbers, locksmiths and electricians work at the property for issues involving immediate risks to health and safety.

"If you have burst your bubble as a result of yesterday's weather event, please do keep a record of where you have been and who with, wear a face-covering when with people outside of your bubble and try to keep a physical distance where possible," Kelleher added.

"We know this isn't always top of mind in emergency situations, but if we all do what we can, it would really help reduce the risk of further Covid outbreaks."