January Storm Updates

Source: Auckland Council

16:03, Monday 30 January

Live update

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15:30 Monday 30 January

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has announced three practical steps Auckland Council is taking to help Aucklanders with the big Auckland clean up.

15:58. Monday 30 January

Severe rain warning

MetService has issued a Severe Rain Warning – RED for Auckland, North of Orewa, from 5:00pm on Tuesday 31st January to 5:00am Wednesday 01st February.

MetService has also issues a Severe Rain Warning – ORANGE for Auckland, from Orewa Southwards, and Great Barrier Island from 6:00pm Tuesday 31st January until 6:00am Wednesday 01st February 2023.

See MetService for more information.

SITUATION

Heavy Rain Warning – RED

Region: Auckland, North Of Orewa

Period: 5:00pm Tuesday 31st January 2023 – 5:00am 01st February 2023

The rain is expected to cause dangerous river conditions and significant flooding. Slips and floodwaters are likely to disrupt travel, making some roads impassable and possibly isolating communities. 

Heavy Rain Warning – ORANGE

Region: Auckland, Orewa Southwards  and Great Barrier Island

Period: 6:00pm Tuesday 31st January 2023 – 6:00am Wednesday 2023

Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous. 

HEAVY RAIN WARNING RED AUCKLAND, NORTH OF OREWA

Expect 80 to 120 mm of rain about the ranges, with lesser amounts about the coast. Peak rates of 15 to 25 mm/h, mainly about the ranges.

HEAVY RAIN WARNING ORANGED, AUCKLAND, OREWA SOUTHWARDS

Expect 50 to 80mm of rain, especially north of the Harbour Bridge. Peak rates of 10 to 20 mm/h, but localised areas in the north may see downpours of 25 to 40 mm/h. Thunderstorms are possible. 

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15:13, Monday 30 January

Support for our communities is available

Rural support

We have reports of severe flooding and landslips impacting rural areas. We are working with MPI and Rural Brigades of Fire and Emergency New Zealand to reach out to others in the sector to understand rural impacts. We stand ready to help where we are needed. Information on support is available on the Our Auckland website.

Transport

• With more rain anticipated in Auckland over the next 48 hours we are expecting our roads and public transport to be under pressure, especially around peak travel times. For the latest information on road closures and public transport please check the AT website
• Landslips and flooding has closed multiple roads in the region, including sections of both routes north, SH1 and SH16. Access is being restored but is difficult to maintain due the ongoing weather and additional land slips
• Auckland Airport has advised they continue to experience delays and cancellations, which is impacting passengers already within the terminals. Support is being provided to Auckland Airport to assist them with the welfare requirements of stranded passengers.

Water safety

• Healthy Waters has advised that all Auckland beaches have been moved to “black” status on the SafeSwim website and are not recommended for swimming.
• Aucklanders are also being advised to avoid swimming at beaches due to possible contamination, and to follow the SafeSwim website to stay up to date.
• We have also received some reports of debris in coastal waters so care should be taken by anyone boating.

Return to school or work

• As we come towards the end of the long weekend, people are urged to think about what the severe weather warnings means for the return to school and work tomorrow.
• The situation remains volatile. We’re dealing with an active weather front and we’re looking at more heavy rain tomorrow and later in the week. We also have a compromised transport network with several road closures and additional rain is likely to exacerbate this.
• Businesses should consider their operational requirements and make an informed decision working arrangements for staff.
• Please check with school or educational facilities directly for their most up to date advice.

If you were affected by the floods and need information, advice or support, you can contact the following service providers. 

• If your life is at risk, phone 111. 
• To report flooding, damage to drains, or stormwater issues, please phone us on 0800 22 22 00. 
• To report slips on private land contact the landowner, or if you are the landowner, your insurance company.  
• For landslides that might affect public land, contact Auckland Council on 09 301 0101. For landslides that might affect public roads, contact Auckland Transport on 09 355 3553. 
• If you need urgent accommodation assistance, phone us on 0800 22 22 00. 
• For welfare assistance you can phone the Ministry of Social Development on 0800 400 100. 

Civil Defence Centres  

Those who need to evacuate and cannot stay with friends or whānau can go to a Civil Defence Centre or phone us on 0800 22 22 00. 

• West: St Leonards Road School, 15 St Leonards Road, Kelston 
• North: Massey University Albany Campus, Sir Neil Walters Lecture Theatre, Massey University East Precinct, Albany Expressway SH17 
• South: Manu Tukutuku, 32 Riverton Drive, Randwick Park 

Bring with you any essential items you may need, e.g. medication, warm clothing, and baby items.  

Community info hub 

A pop-up community and agency information hub will be open at the Māngere Memorial Hall, 23 Domain Road, Māngere Bridge on Monday 30 January 2023, 8am – 8pm. 

Agencies and community groups, alongside Auckland Emergency Management, will be there to provide needs assessments and offer support, including accommodation if needed. 

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13:03, Monday 30 January

Live update

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12:01, Monday 30 January

You’ll see our building inspectors out and about assessing how homes and buildings have fared in recent floods.

For those who already have had their building assessed:

A red placard means re-entry is prohibited because the building is no longer safe or significantly compromised.

A yellow placard mean assessors have concerns about the building’s performance and have restricted entry to part of the building or allow temporary use of the building.

White placards means the property may have minor damage but is sufficiently safe and inhabitable.

If you are concerned about your home or building and would like to request a building assessment, please call a 0800 22 22 00.

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10:27, Monday 30 January

Heavy rainfall overnight leads to extensive surface flooding and further slips

Overnight we saw extensive surface flooding, recording up to 60mm of rain in the north.

We received 148 requests for flood-related issues, two of which were to do with house flooding. FENZ had 30 call outs overnight and there were a number of landslips recorded including a significant one in Titirangi, which damaged a car port. There are road closures as a result of the landslips.

An Emergency Mobile Alert ‘text’ was sent to mobile phones across Auckland last night. This was done due to the potential effects from a heavy rain and thunderstorm warning over the Auckland area.

Heavy rain warning

This morning, Metservice issued an updated Heavy Rain Warning, extending the Orange warning for Auckland and Great Barrier Island to 9.00am. Periods of heavy rain are also forecast for Tuesday. This has the potential for more disruption in the days ahead, on top of already saturated ground.

If rain rates of this intensity occur, further localised flooding and slip impacts are expected.

Check Auckland Emergency Management Facebook for regular updates.

Transport

If you need to travel: plan ahead. Check public transport options before you travel and expect longer journey times on the roads and public transport. For the latest information on road closures and public transport please check the AT website – at.govt.nz/weatherwatch.

The domestic terminal at the airport is operating as usual. The international terminal is operating manually due to IT and other equipment damage. Please only go to the international terminal if you have a flight.

Property
From the inspections made so far, 40 red placards, 151 yellow placards, and 366 white placards have been issued. These are located across the city and are a mixture of flooding and slip-related damage.

To report landslips, please call 09 301 0101.

Water

Water will be released from the Lower Nihotupu and Lower Huia dams this morning (Monday) to help improve water quality in the lakes.

Two water treatment plants are offline at Pukekohe and Helensville. This has no customer impact. Helensville will be up and running soon, and Pukekohe will be reassessed in the next two days. 

Sandbags have been placed around the booster pump station in New Lynn to push water north and protect it from flooding.

Rural Support

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Rural Brigades of Fire and Emergency New Zealand are working with our welfare team to reach out to the rural sector to understand impacts and needs of rural communities.

For requests for assistance with livestock, lifestyle blocks or feed phone Federated Farmers on 0800 FARMING (0800 327 646)

For animal welfare assistance, phone 0800 22 22 00 to log any concerns. MPI will follow up on animal welfare calls.

Ten pump stations were flooded. Six are up and running again, one is partially operating and three are offline (two on North Shore; one in Westmere). Due to pump and electrical damage, it will take at least a week for the pump stations to return to full operation.

We encourage people to stay away from beaches and waterways, as there is the potential for wastewater contamination.

Check the Safeswim website for beach water quality, including beaches with potential pollution issues.

Waste disposal

The disposal of waste is a growing issue and work is underway in Auckland Council to assist those that are unable to dispose of it themselves. Please call 0800 22 22 00 if you need advice on how to dispose storm debris.

If you were affected by the floods and need information, advice or support, you can contact the following service providers.

• To report flooding, damage to drains, or stormwater issues, please phone us on 0800 22 22 00.
• To report slips on private land contact the landowner, or if you are the landowner, your insurance company.
• For landslips that might affect public land, contact Auckland Council on 09 301 0101. For landslides that might affect public roads, contact Auckland Transport on 09 355 3553.
• If your life is at risk, phone 111.
• If you need urgent accommodation assistance, phone us on 0800 22 22 00.
• For welfare assistance you can phone the Ministry of Social Development on 0800 400 100.

Civil Defence Centres

Those who need to evacuate and cannot stay with friends or whānau can go to a Civil Defence Centre or phone us on 0800 22 22 00.

• West: St Leonards Road School, 15 St Leonards Road, Kelston
• North: Massey University Albany Campus, Sir Neil Walters Lecture Theatre, Massey University East Precinct, Albany Expressway SH17
• South: Manu Tukutuku, 32 Riverton Drive, Randwick Park.

Bring with you any essential items you may need, e.g. medication, warm clothing, and baby items.

Community info hub

A pop-up community and agency information hub will be open at the Māngere Memorial Hall, 23 Domain Road, Māngere Bridge through to Friday 8am – 8pm.

Community groups, alongside Auckland Emergency Management, will be there to provide needs assessments and offer support, including accommodation if needed.

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08:00, Monday 30 January 2023

Live update

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19:30, Sunday 29 January 2023

Heavy Rain Warning

Auckland Emergency Management has issued an Emergency Mobile Alert (EMA) to provide important safety messages ahead of the potential for extremely heavy rain to hit the Auckland region.

MetService has issued an orange heavy rain warning due to an active line of thunderstorms currently sitting over the Hauraki Gulf. Between now and 7am tomorrow (Monday), this line of thunderstorms could produce localised downpours of 50-90mm of rainfall. The possibility of localised extreme downpours up to 150mm cannot be ruled out, with the larger totals likely north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Auckland Emergency Management Controller Mace Ward says, “Given recent rainfall, the ground is extremely saturated which changes how rainfall can affect the environment. The decision to issue this alert was made so people in the region can make the best decisions of how to remain safe, should this heavy rain eventuate.”

People in the area between Ōrewa/Waiwera and down to Papakura/Drury, from coast to coast including Aotea Great Barrier Island are advised to:

• Make sure you stay informed. Watch the forecast at metservice.com
• Avoid unnecessary travel. Check road conditions if you have to travel.
• Floods and flash floods can happen quickly. Act immediately if you see rising water – do not wait for official warnings. Head for higher ground and stay away from flood water.
• Check aem.org.nz for updates and information. Listen to emergency services and self-evacuate if you feel unsafe.
• If life is in danger, call 111 immediately.

Any further updates will be posted to the Auckland Emergency Management social media channels.

EMAs are delivered to phones within reach of selected cell tower locations. Given the location of this system, most of the population of Auckland will have received this EMA, though some people outside the warning area may also receive the EMA. More information on how EMAs work, including troubleshooting, is available at getready.govt.nz/

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18:00, Sunday 29 January 2023

Heavy rain watch, getting around and an update from Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Heavy rain watch

• MetService has a severe thunderstorm watch in force for north Auckland tonight.
• Key to note is the risk of localised downpours, approximately 20-40 mm per hour north of Orewa from 7pm Sunday through to 6am Monday. Also, heavy rain and north-easterly gales return to Auckland on Wednesday.
• If rain rates of this intensity occur, localised flooding and slip impacts are expected.
• Put safety first and do not take any chances – it’s not over yet. 
• Check Auckland Emergency Management Facebook for regular updates.

Getting around Auckland

In severe weather, stay off the roads. If you need to travel, plan ahead, check public transport options before you travel and expect longer journey times on the roads and public transport.

• For the latest information on road closures and public transport please check the Auckland Transport website.
• For a list of services and facilities that have been affected before you undertake any travel please check the Auckland Council website
• There are a number of slips and areas of subsidence across the rail network which KiwiRail are working to resolve.
• Auckland Transport are expecting to be able to run trains on the Eastern, Western and Southern Lines from Tuesday but with reduced timetables.
• About 45 roads have had slips or flood damage and are currently closed or have reduced lanes.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand update

Fire and Emergency is working closely with Auckland Emergency Management and with Police and St John to bring additional crews and incident management personnel from other parts of the country to support our people.

This includes extra Urban Search and Rescue teams who are assisting Auckland Council with damage assessments.

Please DO continue to call 111 if:

• your life or property is threatened
• there is a fire
• people are trapped, in floodwater, by slips, or in vehicles
• people need our help to evacuate to safety.

We will still respond to other requests for help, while prioritising calls where life and safety is at risk.

If you were affected by the floods and need information, advice or support, you can contact the following service providers:

• To report flooding, damage to drains, or stormwater issues, please phone us on 0800 22 22 00.
• To report slips contact Auckland Council on 09 301 0101. For landslides that might affect public roads, contact Auckland Transport on 09 355 3553.
• If your life is at risk, phone 111.
• If you need urgent accommodation assistance, phone us on 0800 22 22 00.
• For welfare assistance you can phone the Ministry of Social Development on 0800 400 100.

Civil Defence Centres

Those who need to evacuate and cannot stay with friends or whānau can go to a Civil Defence Centre or phone us on 0800 22 22 00.

• West: St Leonards Road School, 15 St Leonards Road, Kelston
• North: Massey University Albany Campus, Sir Neil Walters Lecture Theatre, Massey University East Precinct, Albany Expressway SH17
• South: Manu Tukutuku, 32 Riverton Drive, Randwick Park

Bring with you any essential items you may need, e.g. medication, warm clothing, and baby items.

Community info hub

A pop-up community and agency information hub will be open at the Māngere Memorial Hall, 23 Domain Road, Māngere Bridge on Monday 30 January 2023, 8am – 8pm.

Agencies and community groups, alongside Auckland Emergency Management, will be there to provide needs assessments and offer support, including accommodation if needed.

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16:00 Sunday 29 January

Live update

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Previous updates

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