Tairāwhiti residents without power as cyclone clean up continues amid shadow of second

With a break in the weather, Tairāwhiti residents are hard at work with clean up efforts following the devastation of Cyclone Hale.

Residents are being told to make the most of the calm while they can, with MetService warning of the possibility of the region being “sideswiped” again by another cyclone.

MetService meteorologist Alec Holden​ said a low pressure feature of some variety was expected around Thursday, though it was still unclear how much, if any, rain the region might have.

“We are very uncertain how close this brush with the system will be and whether that will involve heavy rain for the region.”

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Following the storm, Tairāwhiti residents have been making “significant progress” in getting re-connected and cleaning up, said Gisborne District Council Civil Defence emergency manager Ben Green​.

Green said earlier he was aware of the potential for more wet weather later in the week, but the focus would be on reviewing the damage caused while they had some respite from the weather.

“We still have families isolated in Tauwhareparae and agencies continue to offer welfare support to these people.”

About 53 houses in Tauwhareparae also remained without power. Eastland Network is working to connect them as soon as possible but slash carried by stormwater and falling trees had damaged electricity poles and other infrastructure.

All cellular networks had been restored.

State Highway 35 was now open between7am-7pm, though motorists were urged to be cautious as conditions were slippery and there were still multiple hazards and significant issues.

Contractors had been working “around the clock” to get roads open, though there were still 18, primarily around Uawa, that remained closed, Green said.

“We’re hoping for this number to be down to 11 by Sunday night,” he said.

All sports fields as well as the BMX track and the Fox St mountain bike park remain closed until further notice.

Water levels were dropping and council was closely monitoring with the aim of closing the remaining sewer valves as soon as possible.

The inner harbour boat ramp, Tolaga Wharf, and the Titirangi Hill road remain closed to all users.

There was still a lot of woody debris in the rivers and nearshore, with locals urged to stay out of the waterways and ocean until the signs are removed or five days after the scours are closed, Green said.

People were also advised to refrain from getting straight back into catching up with their washing and using excessive amounts of water.

Green said any further rain was likely to bring more silt and surface flooding, so road conditions can rapidly deteriorate.

MetService’s Alex Holden said MetService would continue to keep a close eye on this system as it developed and expected to have a clearer picture on Monday.

In the meanwhile, he expected more settled weather to allow for clean up progress with temperatures of 20C and some south easterlies over the next two days.

“It’s not a bad idea to get in while you can now for clean up efforts,” he said.

While there would be some “isolated showers” moving in from the south it would be nowhere near the rainfall brought by Cyclone Hale, Holden said.

More than 400ml of rain fell on some parts of the Coromandel as Cyclone Hale, while heavy rainfall across Tairāwhiti saw the Hikuwai River rise to record-breaking levels.