Tree wipes out house while residents sleep
An ‘‘absolutely huge’’ tree crashed on to an Auckland house during heavy rain, causing extensive damage and leaving the sleeping occupants shaken but unharmed.
The incident came as heavy rain and strong winds lashed Auckland yesterday morning as a winter storm moved south over New Zealand.
By lunchtime yesterday MetService said the rain band was moving towards the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty with flooding starting to hit in those areas.
Occupants of the house, who did not want to be named, told
three people were asleep downstairs when the tree came down about 7.30am during torrential rain.
The home owner, who had lived in the house for 18 years, said ‘‘the roof is all smashed in and all the windows and doors are crushed’’.
The tree had recently been assessed as ‘‘quite safe’’.
The owner’s grandson said the noise ‘‘woke me up in an instant’’. ‘‘It’s an absolutely huge tree.’’ The tree, which had a swing in it, was surrounded by other trees from neighbouring properties but appeared to be the only tree affected by the storm.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said the large tree had fallen on the house in Arkles Bay in the north Auckland suburb of Whangaparaoa.
A spokesman said everyone had been evacuated from the ‘‘fairly damaged’’ house and staff were waiting for an inspector from Auckland Council to arrive.
Spokesman Daniel Nicholson said Fenz had answered about
30 calls about flooding incidents between 7am and 10am.
There were closures on the city’s motorway network due to flooding, while busy Tamaki Drive on the waterfront was also closed. Most roads in Auckland had reopened about lunchtime.
Farmers in the rural south Auckland area of Clevedon were moving their stock to higher ground, saying the Wairoa River was in ‘‘full flood’’.
The river rose 3.9m in under
12 hours according to an Auckland Council monitoring website.
Gusts of 113kmh were recorded in the Hauraki Gulf, with a ‘‘significant’’ 3.5-metre wave recorded off the eastern coast of Northland.
MetService had issued a heavy rain warning for the Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty west of Maketu, Gisborne from Tolaga Bay northwards, and the ranges of Bay of Plenty east of Opotiki.
A strong wind warning was also issued for Auckland including Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty from Whakatane westwards, and Waikato.
MetService warned that yesterday’s king tides, when combined with strong easterly winds and large northeast waves, could lead to coastal inundation in eastern areas.