Source: Auckland Council
Today is not a day for heading to Auckland’s west coast beaches – visitors must not head to Karekare, Piha, Te Henga Bethells and Muriwai. These beaches and areas of regional parkland are closed to visitors.
“We appreciate that people want to support these communities, see how they can help, or want to visit, but we are asking that people stay away from Karekare, Piha, Te Henga Bethells and Muriwai this weekend,” says duty Controller Adam Maggs.
“We want Aucklanders to stay safe and ensure emergency crews and response teams can access these communities to provide all the support they need.
“There are cordons managing access into these places to keep the public safe and surf lifesavers are not on patrol this weekend.
“Do not attempt to talk your way through a cordon, claiming to be a resident, either – this type of behaviour places undue pressure on communities that are struggling to simply deal with basic needs,” says Adam.
Isolated communities
We continue to assess isolated community needs following the recent weather events.
Several locations have limited, or restricted road access and critical supplies have already been flown in by NZDF and private helicopter companies to communities in Karekare, Piha, Bethells Te Henga, Muriwai, and Kaipara South Head – including food, water, fuel, portaloos, medication and hygiene products.
“As well as being able to provide support into these communities, it enables us to gather further information and assess any emerging issues,” says Mr Maggs.
AEM is continuing to work with government agencies including MSD and MBIE to ascertain the needs of those in the affected areas.
“It’s heartening to witness how far these efforts go to support our neighbours in need – a true testament to the strength of community spirit and we want to remind people that if you know someone who needs support, please reach out to us on 0800 22 22 00,” says Mr Maggs.
Weather
The forecast remains on track for fairly settled weather and light winds for Auckland and Aotea Great Barrier Island until Tuesday 21 February. There is a low risk of isolated heavy showers in the west today, including Muriwai and Piha.
Power
- Around 5,500 homes and businesses remain without power in the Vector supply area. More than 35,000 have been restored since Tuesday afternoon.
- Around five properties remain without power in the Counties Energy supply area.
- Crews are continuing their work today to restore as many properties as possible and it is anticipated all of these should be resolved by then.
- Counties Manukau has been affected by more than 1,000 individual faults with 12,500 properties have been without power across the cyclone period. This represents around one quarter of its network.
Water
- Watercare is encouraging Aucklanders to use water wisely as the network recovers from the storm and cyclone.
Welfare
Rapid building assessments
- Auckland Council’s Building Consents team is continually assessing affected buildings.
- The team has issued 193 red placards, 226 yellow placards and 757 white placards relating to Cyclone Gabrielle.
- This is in addition to the 350 red placards, 1934 yellow placards and 3167 white placards issued following the 27 January storm event, although there may be some overlap with the numbers issued in relation to the cyclone.
- Anyone with damage to their house, or who has slips close to their property, please contact RBAcomms@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Cleaning up after the storm
- Kerbside collections are back to the normal schedule.
Safety
- The weather forecast is for mainly fine weather, but please plan ahead of travelling, think about your safety and allow extra time.
- There are currently about 52 roads across the region that remain closed, and six with partial closures. Go to the Auckland Transport website for more specific information.
- We urge Aucklanders to help by continuing to stay away from damaged areas. Access to these areas is compromised.
If you have been affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and need some help, there are support services available. Our website aem.org.nz has all the information.
UPDATE | 17 February 2023
Focus on western beach communities continues amid potential risk of further slips
Auckland Emergency Management’s response to Cyclone Gabrielle continues to focus on isolated communities.
“The weather is expected to remain fairly settled over the next few days, but there is still a risk of further slips,” says Deputy Controller Rachel Kelleher.
“It is important to take this risk seriously and to be ready to leave quickly if you need to, particularly if you are in an area prone to slips.”
Access to parts of the West Coast, including Muriwai, Piha, Te Henga (Bethells Beach) and Karekare, is severely compromised.
Auckland Council building assessors and geotechnical engineers are concerned about land movement and the risk of further slips in both Muriwai and Piha. Residents of Domain Crescent in Muriwai have been evacuated and cannot return to their homes.
Residents of part of Rayner Road in Piha have been evacuated and their homes red placarded. The remaining Rayner Road homes can only be accessed on foot as Rayner Road has been closed to vehicle traffic in its entirety.
For safety reasons, Auckland Emergency Management has also temporarily closed five regional parks – Waitākere Ranges Regional Park, Muriwai Regional Park, Ātiu Creek Regional Park, Tāwharanui Regional Park, and the western side of Hunua Ranges, including Hunua Falls.
“If you are not a resident of one of these affected communities, please stay away. It’s important we allow emergency services and council officials to get on with supporting people there. Be prepared to be turned away at cordons if you aren’t a resident.
“Finally, there has been some speculation about an incident on Garden Road in Piha about an alleged dispute between council agencies. To clarify, no dispute occurred,” Rachel says.
“Our agencies are working together and, for all of us, our priority is the safety of residents.”
Auckland Emergency Management and emergency services are in touch with the isolated households on Garden Road and are working together to remove the water and reopen the road as soon as possible.
“This is a very fluid situation. If you need help, please call Auckland Emergency Management on 0800 22 22 00. If your life is in danger, call 111,” says Rachel.
Anyone with damage to their house, or who has slips close to their property, please contact RBAcomms@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Power
- Vector has advised that there are currently approximately 8000 homes without power, down from 16,000 yesterday.
- Vector is working closely with authorities to gain access to communities that remain cut off due to road slips and fallen trees and to provide estimated restoration times for those still without power.
- There is a map on the Vector website, which gives an overview of what to expect within the 12 zones of their network.
- Counties Energy is reporting 72 properties without power, 95% of outages anticipated to be restored by the end of the day.
- Please be patient with the crews who are doing everything they can to restore power to customers as quickly and safely as possible.
Water
- Residents in Wellsford, Helensville and Parakai are still encouraged to use water wisely today.
- Watercare is working to restore service to these local treatment plants, and is making progress, but the situation has not returned to normal yet.
- In Muriwai, the water treatment plant remains offline. There is a water tanker outside Sand Dunz Café providing emergency water.
Welfare
- There are 12 civil defence centres, shelters and info hubs open.
- People can charge their phones or use Wi-Fi at their local library and visit our pools or leisure centres to access a shower, as needed.
- An up-to-date list of where you can go to get help and information is on the Auckland Emergency Management website
Cleaning up after the storm
- Kerbside collections are back to the normal schedule.
- Council has also resumed its kerbside collections of flood-damaged items. People can call 0800 22 22 00 to log a request.
- If you are removing flood-damaged items from your home – please wear rubber gloves, long-sleeved top and trousers and a face mask.
- If you have sand and sandbags that have been in contact with floodwater, please be aware that the council waste management team is working on a solution to dispose of sandbags in a way that is healthy and environmentally safe.
- In the meantime, please store your sandbags on your property away from bodies of water and areas where people may come in to contact with them.
- Don’t leave bags on the kerbside. They will not be collected and could clog up drains and cause further floods.
Safety
- The weather forecast is for mainly fine weather, but please plan ahead before travelling. Think about your safety and allow extra time.
- There are currently about 50 roads across the region that remain closed. Go to the Auckland Transport website for more information.
- We urge Aucklanders to help by continuing to stay away from damaged areas. Access to these areas is compromised.
If you have been affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and need some help, there are support services available. Our website aem.org.nz has all the information.
