Source: Radio New Zealand
States of Emergency have been declared in Whangārei and the Far North
The Whangārei District Mayor Ken Couper said with communities isolated and more heavy rain forecast, declaring an emergency means Civil Defence had access to emergency powers to protect life and property.
He said that includes ordering evacuations, closing roads and public places and removing aircraft, vessels, vehicles.
Whangārei District Civil Defence Controller Victoria Harwood, said at this stage, it’s not known whether the emergency powers will be used.
Northland Civil Defence is urging Northlanders to take the current weather event seriously.
The States of Emergency will be in effect for seven days beginning 2.00pm, Thursday, 26 March.
A red weather warning remains in place for Northland east of Kaikohe from Doubtless Bay to Whangārei, with the worst of the downpours expected to hit on Thursday afternoon.
Marae in the region have been opened for those in need of support, and Fire and Emergency has deployed 19 specialist rescue personnel to Northland and Auckland.
MetService said the heaviest rain and largest volumes were likely to be in the upper North Island, from Northland to western Bay of Plenty.
Downpours, flooding, and slips were also possible on Thursday and Friday.
Fire and Emergency assistant national commander Ken Cooper warned residents in upper parts of Northland to be ready in case the situation deteriorated.
“For that upper part of Northland, the intelligence we’ve got is there’s a large amount of rainfall over a very short period of time. I would certainly advise people to be prepared, if they’re in low lying areas or near rivers, be prepared to move.”
Cooper said anyone concerned about a risk to life or property should call 111.
Northland Civil Defence expected the worst of the rain to hit the northeast coast on Thursday night.
In a post on social media, it warned residents not to go into flood water, to avoid unnecessary travel, and to be aware of slips.
“Leave immediately if you notice cracks in the ground, leaning trees or power poles, unusual sounds, or sudden changes in streams,” it said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
