Weather warning as Gita looms

The remnants of Cyclone Gita are set to hit New Zealand this week, and people in Marlborough should be prepared for worst-case scenario, says Marlborough Civil Defence.

Though Gita will have lost some of its intensity by the time it reaches the top of the south around Tuesday, the cyclone is still expected to pack a punch.

Civil Defence emergency management officer Gary Spence said having a plan was essential should the weather get bad.

‘‘We could have potential power failures so therefore shops might not open and if you’re at home with the power out you will need light. So the basics at home would be lighting, warmth and water and food,’’ Spence said.

One of the best ways to prepare for an extreme event was to have an emergency bag, he said.

‘‘If you need to evacuate, have a grab bag ... that’s got a little bit of food, jacket, spare medication if you can, copies of insurance policy numbers and things like that so you can deal with all that without having to get back home.

‘‘That means you don’t have to rush around the house trying to grab stuff, just grab the bag and you’re out the door with your basics,’’ Spence said.

Residents living in low lying areas should be prepared for at least 100 millimetres of rain, he said.

With strong winds expected, loose outdoor items such as trampolines need to be secured, Spence said.

Residents and visitors to the Sounds should also expect slips as a result of the heavy rain.

‘‘That part gets a heck of a lot of rainfall, over the Blenheim side of the valley we get not even half of what northern Marlborough gets so there is always a risk of a lot of slips and once again if you don’t need to travel, don’t travel,’’ Spence said.

Civil Defence also urged residents who had flooding events to inform authorities as soon as possible.

‘‘It’s really difficult for us sometimes because we only act upon information, and if information doesn’t come in we think everything is fine.’’

For information on flooding, people were advised to check Floodwatch on the council website and if things went ‘‘pear-shaped’’ the radio was another source of information.

MetService meteorologist Josh Griffin said the remnants of Gita were expected to hit central New Zealand on Tuesday or Wednesday.

‘‘At this stage we can say there will be a fair bit of rain, with possible heavy falls but ... we can’t say for certain how much rain will fall,’’ he said.

Peter Bramley