Source: Radio New Zealand
The community civil defence group in the settlement of Coville on the Coromandel Peninsula, testing a generator. Supplied
Some North Island communities are preparing for the full force of Cyclone Vaianu – particularly coastal settlements that have been hit hard by previous storms.
Some say they are better equipped now, with Starlinks, generators, and community networks that have formed and strengthened following successive weather events over recent years.
The cyclone is forecast to reach Northland on Saturday night, and has brought the entire North Island under a strong wind watch for Sunday. Up to 200mm of rain could fall in 18-24 hours in some areas, according to predictions by Earth Sciences.
Gavin Jeffcoat, the chairperson of the Coromandel-Colville Community local board, said his northern Coromandel town of Colville never seems to finish tidying up after the last weather event, before the next one comes along – having had two storms this year already.
He runs a cycling and walking tour business, and has had weekend trips cancelled in anticipation of the cyclone.
Jeffcoat, who helps with the local community civil defence group, said preparation work was underway on Thursday.
“We’ve been out today just making sure that the generator’s working and it’s got fuel, and the satellite Starlink is working and just getting all those little things, and making sure everything’s in place so we’re not getting caught out on Sunday,” he said.
Jeffcoat said he’s heard from a family whose house was threatened by a slip in the last storm, and has been working to arrange a place for the family to go this weekend.
The community civil defence group in the settlement of Coville on the Coromandel Peninsula, getting trained to use a starlink. Supplied
Auckland’s Muriwai is also no stranger to extreme weather, having suffered extensive landslides during Cyclone Gabrielle, including one that claimed the lives of two firefighters.
Local resident Jayne McCall said her community started the Muriwai Emergency Group in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, and has been working closely with Auckland Emergency Management since.
McCall said the majority of Muriwai residents are connected to the group, and there are now street based “neighbourhood nets” which ensures anyone who needs help has support.
The local Surf Life Saving club will be their evacuation base and has been fitted with a generator and a starlink, she said.
Donna Kerridge’s Ōakura home was flooded in the January storm. She’s worried that the community could be cut off with potential damage from Cyclone Vaianu, considering that their main road to Whangarei – Russell Road – remains partly blocked since the January storm. Donna Kerridge
Donna Kerridge, who lives in Northland’s settlement of Ōakura, said she’s “over being anxious” with the incoming cyclone, after months of dealing with the devastation from January’s storm that saw her house flooded.
Kerridge is still receiving treatment for a toe infection caused by silt in the January event, and her house remains uninhabitable due to ongoing works to clean up mould, replace internal walls and get her bathrooms fixed. She’s been living at a campground.
Kerridge said since the last storm, they’ve formed Whatsapp groups to share information about weather risks, and she also has a shared “next of kin” contact list with a smaller group of neighbours.
“That kind of thing is quite comforting, I know now that if my neighbours were compromised that I can ring their adult children… so that we’re all in the loop,” she said.
Kerridge said the community is hunkering down to do all the usual things to prepare for outages that could be caused by strong winds, such as making sure there’s safe drinking water, food, and that power packs are charged.
Ōakura also has a Starlink now, she added.
“We’re more aware now of where the risks are, we’re also more aware now of where the assets are, where are the pumps in the bay to get water out when we need to urgently,” she said.
Kerridge said she’s most concerned about the community being cut off, considering that their main road to Whangārei – Russell Road – remains partly blocked since the January storm, and a backroad detour via Kaiikanui Road can be risky if there are no pilot vehicles to escort travellers.
“When you lose access in and out, to medical services, to whanau and things like that, that’s what’s had the biggest impact for me personally, is the risk to that access,
“We’ve got a work around, we’re very lucky, but I get concerned if that work around becomes inaccessible, then we really are stuck,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Far North mayor Moko Tepania said their emergency operations centre hasn’t closed since the recent storms, and is ready to respond to Cyclone Vaianu.
Tepania said he’s been hearing from concerned communities on the east coast who were worst hit in the January storm, and are now again in the line of fire, including Taemaro Bay, Rawhiti, Karetu, Ngaiotonga.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
