Dozens of roads are closed and residents have reported massive landslips as sodden hillsides collapse.
So far the Waipaoa River is the only one that has burst its banks, Gisborne Civil Defence controller Ben Green told RNZ this morning, but authorities are keeping a close eye on a number of others.
Civil Defence has asked residents in low-lying areas not to wait for an official evacuation order and leave if they feel unsafe.
House of Breakthrough and Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae are open as evacuation centres.
Road closures
The region has been essentially isolated from the rest of the country.
State Highway 2 is closed from Gisborne to Matawai, and SH35 from Gisborne to Ruatoria.
Further south, flooding at Eskdale closed SH5 between Napier and Taupō, and SH2 from Napier to Wairoa.
“We’ve got about 61 local roads closed,” Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz said. “We are asking our community if you see any landslides let us know, also surface flooding. And if you don’t have to travel please don’t travel.”
‘Constant state of recovery’
Stoltz said the bad weather for the region began on January 10 with Cyclone Hale and hasn’t stopped.
“It feels to me we’re in a constant state of response and recovery and we’re just not getting a break to do the work we need to do to get our region back on its feet.”
Warnings for Coromandel, BOP
Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty west of Te Puke, as well as the Ruahine Range, Kaweka Forest Park, Hawke’s Bay - south of State Highway 5 - and eastern Marlborough, south of Ward, are under orange heavy rain warnings.
Hawke’s Bay, north of State Highway 5 and the ranges of Tasman west of Motueka are under yellow heavy rain watches.
