with slideshow
Roads close as heavens open 14:52 23/01/2011
Severe weather has caused flooding and slippages, closed roads and brought down trees in parts of the North Island.
The Fire Service reported that they have responded to more than 100 weather-related events in the northern region this morning with the worst affected areas being the Auckland's North Shore, Eastern Suburbs and the lower central business districts.
"Homes have flooded in the following areas - Omaha, Otahuhu, St Heliers, Remuera, Belmont, Epsom, Takapuna, Greenlane, Hillsborough, Mount Wellington, Devonport, Parnell, Hauraki, Murrays Bay, Westmere, Milford and Castor Bay," the Fire Service's northern communications centre shift manager Jason Phillips said.
"Many commercial premises have now been flooded in the lower CBD due to the high tide."
Anne Clere watched the waves come in on Tamaki Drive. She said they were huge and had come right across the road.
"...saw a man on the foot path get knocked over by a wave which rose over the sea wall. The size and violence of the waves is extraordinary,'' she said.
Other affected areas listed by the Fire Service are:
* The combination of the king tide and high rainfall has flooded buildings in Mahuhu Crescent.
* At Pier 21 - Marine Centre Dry Stack a transformer has caught fire and firefighters are wading through 50m of water to get access to the blaze.
* Queens Arcade has been flooded in Queen Street.
* The Point Apartments basement in the Viaduct is flooded.
* The Britomart Excelsior House basement is flooded.
* At Bucklands Beach, water is coming straight in from the beach and has flooded multiple houses on The Parade.
* At Maraetai, multiple houses and restaurants are flooded on Maraetai Drive. Sand bags are being used while 30 houses have been flooded by sea water at Herald Island.
* The North Western Motorway in Auckland has one lane flooded city bound between Patiki Road and Waterview. Traffic is being diverted off at Te Atatu through to Gt North Road.
* Tidal debris has resulted in the Northern Motorway (Northshore) city bound being diverted off at Esmonde Road and back on at Onewa Road.
* Tamaki Drive has also been closed at Ngapipi Road due to the incoming tide which is crashing over the seawall in places. A diversion is in place.
About 300 people were evacuated from a Taupo campground this morning as Waikato authorities prepared for flooding across the region.
Campers were asked to leave the low-lying Spa Park, and people living close to rivers and lakes were told to prepare for rising levels over the next three days.
Trampers and fishermen are being warned that rivers and streams will rise quickly in the Taupo area where another 200-300 mm of rain is forecast in the hills, Waikato Civil Defence duty officer Adam Munro said.
Severe weather has caused flooding and slippages, closed roads and brought down trees in parts of the North Island.
The Fire Service reported that they have responded to more than 100 weather-related events in the northern region this morning with the worst affected areas being the Auckland's North Shore, Eastern Suburbs and the lower central business districts.
"Homes have flooded in the following areas - Omaha, Otahuhu, St Heliers, Remuera, Belmont, Epsom, Takapuna, Greenlane, Hillsborough, Mount Wellington, Devonport, Parnell, Hauraki, Murrays Bay, Westmere, Milford and Castor Bay," the Fire Service's northern communications centre shift manager Jason Phillips said.
"Many commercial premises have now been flooded in the lower CBD due to the high tide."
Anne Clere watched the waves come in on Tamaki Drive. She said they were huge and had come right across the road.
"...saw a man on the foot path get knocked over by a wave which rose over the sea wall. The size and violence of the waves is extraordinary,'' she said.
Other affected areas listed by the Fire Service are:
The MetService has issued a severe weather warning for most of the North Island, including the Bay of Plenty and Bay of Plenty civil defence emergency workers are on standby after heavy rain pelted the region overnight.
Rain had increased in intensity overnight as a low pressure system moved across the upper North Island, said Bay of Plenty Regional Council spokeswoman Bronwyn Campbell.
Rivers in the region were expected to keep rising today, she said.
The MetService had increased its forecast to as much as 450mm of rain, she said.
"Rain will cause rivers and stream to rise quickly, with slips and localised flooding possible, and driving conditions could be dangerous," she said.
She advised people to keep up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings.
High sea levels produced by strong north to northeast onshore winds accompanying the rain could restrict rivers flowing into the sea in eastern areas from Auckland to the Bay of Plenty, she said.
"All farmers should move stock to high ground, and if people don't need to travel they should stay at home. Campers in the region should pack up and head home."
The MetService has said the heavy rain was expected to be significant for most regions from Northland down to Waitomo and the central North Island high country, and across the Bay of Plenty to Gisborne and Hawkes Bay.
The heaviest rain was expected to be in Northland, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, the central high country and the ranges of Gisborne and Hawke's Bay.
-Stuff and NZPA
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4571700/Roads-close-as-heavens-open~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4571700/Roads-close-as-heavens-openHeavy rain causes flooding, road closuresUPDATED 1:50PM Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:20p.m.
Launch photogallery
http://www.3news.co.nz/Home/tabid/1125/articleID/195446/Default.aspx#1Heavy rain and strong winds are causing havoc across the upper North Island, with campers evacuated, trees down, roads closed and widespread flooding.
About 300 people were evacuated from a Taupo campground this morning as Waikato authorities prepared for flooding across the region.
Campers were asked to leave the low-lying Spa Park, and people living close to rivers and lakes were told to prepare for rising levels over the next three days.
Trampers and fishermen are being warned that rivers and streams will rise quickly in the Taupo area where another 200-300 mm of rain is forecast in the hills, Waikato Civil Defence duty officer Adam Munro said.
The Fire Service responded to more than 100 weather-related events this morning in the northern region, but heavy rain had eased in Auckland and Northland by early afternoon.
Worst affected areas were Auckland's North Shore, eastern suburbs and the lower CBD, said fire service northern shift manager Jaron Phillips.
Homes had flooded across the Auckland region, and many commercial premises in central Auckland had flooded due to the high tide.
Surrounding regions of Auckland were also affected, with high seas flooding houses in Bucklands Beach. People were using sandbags to protect properties in Maraetai where many houses and restaurants had also been drenched, and a further 30 houses were flooded by sea water in Herald Island, Waitakere.
The Fire Service is also keeping a close watch on increasing numbers of incidents in Rotorua and Edgecumbe.
In downtown Auckland, flooding closed Quay Street between Britomart Place and Tinely Street and police say one lane is now open in each direction.
He advised motorists heading through downtown Auckland to avoid the area.
Flooding had also affected the Northwestern Motorway, and tidal debris had forced the closure of part of the Northern Motorway and Tamaki Drive.
A car collided with a fallen tree in the Waikato just after 6am, in what was not a serious crash but closed Maungatautari Road.
Further south, weather had forced the cancellation of the flying programme at Wings Over Wairarapa.
The MetService had issued a severe weather warning for most of the North Island, including the Bay of Plenty, and Civil Defence authorities were on alert.
A revised forecast was issued just before noon predicting much less rain than expected would fall today, after an unusual tropical air mass pushed across Auckland this morning. That caused temperatures to jump six degrees in just 30 minutes, and humidity rocketed to 100 percent.
Rain had eased in Northland and Auckland, and was likely to ease in Coromandel Peninsula by early afternoon.
For Northland and Auckland, occasional rain with a few heavy falls was likely for the remainder of the day, with another 20 to 40mm possible.
Another 20 to 40mm rainfall is possible north of Whitianga, while 40 to 70mm is likely further south.
NZPA
http://www.3news.co.nz/Heavy-rain-causes-flooding-road-closures/tabid/423/articleID/195446/Default.aspx