Wall of mud hits block of f lats

A wall of mud smashed into a block of flats on an Auckland hillside last night, leaving emergency services desperately trying to account for residents.

For two hours it was not clear if a person was in their Kohimarama home when the cliff slide slipped, heaving mud into San Remo Apartments in the eastern bays suburb – but officials later said all residents had been accounted for and there was no loss of life.

A police spokesman at the scene said 11 units were evacuated as a result of the slip.

Andrew Dyer, a resident of the San Remo Apartments, described the moment the slip hit his home: ‘‘My partner and I were upstairs making supper, when all of a sudden there was an almighty crash and the front door burst open from a mud slide,’’ he told Newstalk ZB talkback.

‘‘We’ve got no intention of going back in.’’ The two neighbouring apartments were in the same state as his, Dyer said.

Inspector Kerry Watson, Auckland Police Metropolitan Commander, said: ‘‘We have verified everyone is out and safe. However, there are some concerns about the stability of the cliff.’’

It was the worst incident in a night of flooding and torrential downpours experienced across the North Island, as it was belted by the remnants of Cyclone Debbie.

A state of emergency was declared in both Whanganui and Rangitikei districts as civil defence crews prepared for levels of flooding not seen since 2004. All schools in both areas will be closed today, and the Education Ministry is advising all early childhood education services to close too.

High winds and heavy rain were expected in Wellington overnight, with up to 100 millimetres of rain likely to fall in 24 hours.

‘‘The majority of the weather will linger around on Wednesday but should fade through Thursday,’’ MetService meteorologist Josh Griffin said.

About 1000 people were without power in rural Manawatu yesterday. Parts of Taranaki had more than 100mm of rainfall in 24 hours, and storms closed State Highway 1 south of Kaikoura, just hours after it reopened.

Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall said a Civil Defence emergency centre was on standby in the event of flooding in the area.

The region’s state of emergency was declared at 5.30pm, as the Whanganui River threatened to break its banks near Pipiriki, west of Raetihi. McDouall said peak levels at Pipiriki were expected to get to about 17.7 metres by 1pm today, which would leave Whanganui very vulnerable.