RNZ understands communities in cut-off regions have limited reception and are unable to download articles and live updates which contain visuals and other embedded information. Live updates posted here will contain text only, specifically so those of you in this position can read them.
These updates will be aimed at people in Piha, Coromandel Peninsula, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne/ Tairāwhiti.
Please look for your region, new updates will have the time they are being posted so people have the most current information.
* Read more: Live Cyclone Gabrielle updates: Trail of destruction, thousands evacuated
Hawke’s Bay
3.23pm: The Ministry of Primary Industries is helping with animals
- awem@mpi.govt.nz or 04 8940132 for animal rescue or evacuation or to get accommodation
- Missing horses – list on www.lostpet.co.nz and share on equine Facebook pages
3.17pm: Napier’s Art Deco festival – due to start tomorrow – has been cancelled.
3.16pm: Hawke’s Bay Emergency Management is trying to correct misinformation about SH51, which connects Napier and Hastings via the coast. The road is closed between Napier and Clive and between Napier Road and Elwood Road. SH2 is closed between Hastings and Napier but is open south of Hastings.
3.11pm: Countdown Carlyle and Countdown Napier are still closed.
2.50pm: Napier Port says it will remain closed for shipping at least until midday Thursday. Operations have been suspended since Monday, and inspections have so far found only minor damage.
2.40pm Foodstuffs says the New World in Wairoa is open and is well stocked, however, it is appealing to people to only buy what they need.
2.26pm: Latest from Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence:
- 25 active requests for assistance in region, including people trapped in houses, on roofs
- Getting assessment of damage, restoring power and roads are priorities
- It’s challenging to assist areas away from Hastings and Napier without power and comms, but people are travelling to more isolated areas today
- Roads especially between Napier and Hastings need to kept clear for emergency services vehicles and those delivering essential supplies. Anyone travelling for non-urgent reasons can expect to be stopped by police.
2.13pm: And the latest on road closures:
- SH2 between Ōpōtiki and Gisborne and then Gisborne to Napier CLOSED
- SH2 between Napier and Hastings CLOSED
- SH5 between Napier and Taupō CLOSED
- SH51 between Napier and Clive CLOSED
- SH51 between Napier Road and Elwood Road CLOSED
- SH50 Expressway between Napier and Hastings CLOSED
- SH50 between Takapau and Hastings CLOSED
2pm: Waka Kotahi advises SH1 Marton is now open between Calico Line and Wings Rd – it had been closed earlier due to flooding. In an update at 12.15pm it said SH2 is open between Waipawa and Waipukurau following the flooding.
2pm: A Defence Force ship is set to depart Devonport naval base for Napier today carrying supplies to assist with the recovery effort. The HMNZS Manawanui is expected to arrive tomorrow.
1.55pm: A caller has advised RNZ St Andrews Church in Hastings is open for people needing to charge devices and/or have some lunch. The address is the corner of Linden & Market Street, Hastings.
1.50pm: The Ministry of Education says it understands that there are widespread school closures across the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne region and unless parents hear from their school, they should assume it is closed.
“The closures are likely to continue for the rest of the week as schools will need time to assess the impact, once safe to do so, and make decisions on whether they will be able to open this week or next, from a health and safety perspective.”
1.30pm: Wairoa mayor Craig Little has requested urgent assistance and says the isolated community only has enough food, water and fuel to last the next few days.
Little says parts of the district are devastated and desperately need help.
He says the North Clyde side of Wairoa has been severly impacted and hundreds of people have been evacuated.
He says damage to the roading network and the lack of phone and internet connnections mean many people in the community are yet to be contacted.
1.20pm: Residents remain unable to call 111.
At this afternoon’s briefing in Auckland, Fire and Emergency response coordinator Vaughan Mackereth says communications are limited as firefighters and rescuers resort to satellite phones.
12.30pm: RNZ reporter in Hastings: People looking for loved ones can log a “Person Inquired For” request via the police website or call police on 105.
12.15: From MetService – There are no severe weather watches or warnings in place for Hawke’s Bay. The rainfall warning for the region is lifted. However, rivers are still extremely high and conditions are hazardous. Stay safe, stay informed and stay out of floodwaters, it advises.
As well, people are urged to stay off the roads and away from beaches and coastal areas. Farmers and lifestyle block owners need to consider how and where you will relocate stock in a flood situation. Move stock and equipment out of low-lying areas.
Earlier:
Wairoa District Council is communicating with the outside world via satellite.
An air force plane will fly over the town today to assess the damage.
A woman died in Putorino overnight, in northern Hawke’s Bay after a bank collapsed onto her home, Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence said.
Houses in the region were also underwater and roads washed out following Tuesday’s extraordinary amount of rain.
People were rescued from their roofs by helicopters and boats to escape rapidly rising floodwaters.
Civil Defence said they did not know how many people took shelter in evacuation centres, but the Hastings Sports Centre was nearing capacity last night.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst says Fire and Emergency is on the ground today, getting to isolated communities and checking on people.
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise says people in the city’s Te Awa Estate and surrounding suburbs should have grab bags ready for evacuation.
Wise said there were concerns the stopbank breach would cause more widespread flooding.
She said communications were still patchy in the region and radio was the best way to receive information from Civil Defence.
In both cities it could be days or weeks before power is returned to all customers.
Transpower said it would be challenging to get full power supply restored to the region.
It announced a national grid emergency yesterday after its Redclyffe substation was flooded.
Transpower chief executive Alison Andrew said crews had not been able to get onto the site because of flooding.
She said a helicopter was coming up from Wellington today to try and access the site.
Gisborne / Tairāwhiti
3.30pm: The Eastland power provider is asking those who have power on to conserve it as it works to fix many faults around the region. Generators are being used in Ruatoria, Te Araroa, Tokomaru Bay and Tolaga Bay townships to keep their power on.
3.13pm: Countdown Gisborne is still closed.
3.05pm: Tairaawhiti Civil Defence is warning residents to look out for signs a landslide is about to happen.
Signs include small slips and rockfalls, house doors and windows that stick and new cracks or bulges in the ground or in retaining walls. To report issues to Civil Defence call 0800 653 800.
2.15pm: From Waka Kotahi: SH35 between Hicks Bay and Gisborne is CLOSED
SH2 between Ōpōtiki and Gisborne and then Gisborne to Napier CLOSED
1.20pm: Residents in Gisborne also remain unable to call 111.
At this afternoon’s briefing in Auckland, Fire and Emergency response coordinator Vaughan Mackereth says communications are limited as firefighters and rescuers resort to satellite phones.
1.15pm: Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz says they have about 200 people in their evacuation centre. She says she doesn’t know of any injuries or fatalities in the region.
Stoltz warns the region cannot afford to waste any water.
Earlier:
Limited power was back in parts of Gisborne on Wednesday morning.
Communications with the region were still limited, and it could take weeks to get power and communications back up and running.
Residents in the region were also being asked to urgently conserve water after a break in the city’s main supply, somewhere between the dams and the treatment plant.
Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said 22,000 copies of the Gisborne Herald are being delivered today with messages about the latest situation.
She urges people not to panic buy groceries and says supermarkets will slowly reopen from today.
Waikato including Coromandel Peninsula
2.40pm: Foodstuffs says it is working hard to getting supplies for supermarkets to East Cape and Coromandel, Tairua in particular. Staff were looking at alternative ways to get stock in, other than by road.
12.50pm: Thames-Coromandel Civil Defence controller Garry Towler says it is critical to get power back to Tairua and Pauanui.
Over 45000 properties are without power and Towler says generators running critical infrastructure for water and wastewater are maxing out.
He says the communities are coming to the end of their third day without power and it is a serious situation.
The council are working with Powerco and Waka Kotahi to get access into those towns.
Earlier:
Flooding, slips, storm surges and significant storm debris were reported in many areas around the region.
Power outages were also being reported by all network companies in the Waikato region.
Communities, such as Leamington in Waipa District, lost power early Tuesday morning and it is not expected to be restored until tonight.
The lines company and other network providers are posting estimated restoration times online.
However, if a suburb or its surrounding areas were affected by more than one outage, it was recommended that people plan to be without power until the latest time indicated.
National Emergency Management Agency advice:
- Put safety first. Don’t take any chances. Act quickly if you see rising water. Floods and flash floods can happen quickly. If you see rising water do not wait for official warnings. Head for higher ground and stay away from floodwater.
- Stay at home if it is safe to do so. But have an evacuation plan in case your home becomes unsafe to stay in.
- If you have evacuated, please stay where you are until you are given the all-clear to go home.
- People should stay up to date with the forecasts from MetService and continue to follow the advice of Civil Defence and emergency services.
- Do not try to walk, play, swim, or drive in floodwater: even water just 15 centimetres deep can sweep you off your feet, and half a metre of water will carry away most vehicles. Flood water is often contaminated and can make you sick.
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