Worst of Auckland weather over
Better forecast a relief to sodden City of Sails Family’s frantic search for shelter
Very definitely the worst of [the weather] is over in Auckland.” So says Metservice meteorologist Alwyn Bakker — welcome news for a sodden city following a week of deadly downpours.
The long Waitangi weekend weather is forecast to be partly cloudy with some showers likely, but nothing like Monday night and last Friday’s deluges.
“Auckland will be considerably better this weekend, a few spots of rain around, but nothing like what has been seen,” Bakker said.
The finer forecast comes after Auckland’s state of emergency was extended another seven days, necessary because the city was still responding to the crisis, Auckland Emergency Management (AEM) said.
Mayor Wayne Brown announced the extension yesterday afternoon — and conceded he had “dropped the ball” in response to flooding around the city.
And in the hard-hit Coromandel, Thames-coromandel District mayor Len Salt declared a “preemptive” state of emergency at 1.35pm yesterday due to the potential for further slips there.
He said people shouldn’t travel to or around the Coromandel due to the state of the region’s roads. “We strongly discourage anyone from travelling around the district unless necessary.”
State Highway 25A between Kopu and Hikuai remained closed due to a full collapse and traffic on SH25 is slower, with lanes closed and temporarily lower speed limits because of the weather’s impacts.
Heavy falls in Auckland have already given way to bouts of sunshine and lighter showers in the past few days. All weather warnings for the upper North Island have since lapsed, with only a heavy rain watch remaining for Mt Taranaki yesterday and an orange heavy rain warning for Westland until tomorrow night.
About 15mm of rain fell in the past 12 hours, Bakker said, a relief compared with the 245mm that fell last Friday.
Despite the relatively low rainfall, he added, there was still a concern about “where that water will go” given the city was already soaked.
“It’s like trying to fill up a bucket that’s already full,” he said.
AEM controller Rachel Kelleher said people should keep an eye on weather forecasts and road conditions for the long weekend. “We still have a number of roads throughout the region that have closures or partial closures in place.”
Flash floods could happen quickly and people should not wait for official warnings before heading to safety, she said.
Auckland Council chief executive Jim Stabback urged continuing caution. “We know it’s been a tough week for so many Aucklanders, and many people will understandably be looking forward to getting outdoors and enjoying some return to normalcy,” he said.
“However, we urge people to continue to use caution and stay safe over Waitangi weekend, particularly around our storm-affected beaches and parks.”
There have been 232 houses redstickered and 1294 yellow-stickered of the more than 4000 houses which have been assessed across the city, said the council’s manager for building consents, Ian Mccormick.
Health authorities said there was a risk of a diarrhoea and vomiting outbreak across Auckland as people come into contact with sewage-contaminated floodwater.
Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand medical officer of health Dr Jay Harrower said public health agencies hadn’t seen an uptick in sickness yet, but an increase in gastroenteritis was possible.
“[Gastroenteritis] can be serious for those who are very young, very old, or have underlying medical conditions,” Harrower said. “If you develop symptoms that could be gastroenteritis and need health advice, contact your doctor or call Healthline for free any time.”
Swimming at Auckland’s beaches is still unsafe, with sewage and debris posing a risk to health.
Kelleher of AEM said houses and waterlogged belongings could be contaminated and people should wear protective gear and wash their hands after touching anything.
People needing help sorting through flood-damaged items should contact AEM.
Successive downpours have forced a migrant family to hunt for temporary shelter for a third time after their rental home was swamped by debris-filled floodwater.
Migrant worker Amit Bhardwaj and his family are jumping from one friend’s house to another in need of shelter since the deluge of Friday last week.
The family’s Sandringham rental was flooded twice in the torrential rains of the past seven days.
“My son is scared of rain now. He had to walk 400 metres in water to get to safety,” Bhardwaj told the NZ Herald.
The 11-year-old, who is 1.2m tall, walked from their Parish Rd home to Sandringham Rd in 90cm deep floodwaters.
“We have been living in extreme uncertainty . . . like we have nowhere to go.
“All our belongings are still inside the house, most of them are damaged, my car was sunken in the water, and emergency services had to tow it out.”
The landlord told Bhardwaj they would prioritise the clean-up of their rental.
Since then, the family have moved again to another friend’s house in Sandringham near the Hindu Temple.
Bhardwaj said his situation was quite stressful having just returned to the country after being stuck overseas on a migrant worker visa.
Migrant Workers Association president Anu Kaloti said Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni’s office had confirmed that all temporary visa-holding migrants affected by the Auckland floods were eligible for the support available through the Civil Defence and Work and Income offices.
Five community support hubs remained open around the city and an emergency relief fund to support people facing flood-related hardship had been set up.
Kelleher said access to emergency powers was still necessary, which is why the state of emergency needed to be extended. “We are still seeing some landslip activity happening even today,” Kelleher said yesterday.
AEM was trying to comprehend and record the full extent of slips across the region.