Source: Radio New Zealand
On Sunday night, MetService’s remaining warnings and watches in place for the lower North Islan, upper South Island and West Coast. MetService/Screenshot
MetService has lifted thunderstorm warnings for most of the North Island, except the Wellington Region and Tararua, with orange and yellow warnings and watches in place for Monday.
A state of local emergency was declared earlier for the small town of Ōhura in the Ruapehu District due to heavy rain, and a local Civil Defence Centre was opened at the Memorial Hall on Ngarimu Street.
Manawatū-Whanganui Emergency Management Group earlier said it was responding to flooding across the region, caused by the heavy rain, and an emergency mobile alert was sent to the people of Ōhura early on Sunday morning, notifying them of the need to prepare to self-evacuate.
“Six residents of Ōhura self-evacuated, with the Ōhura Memorial Hall opened as a Civil Defence Centre.”
The Ōhura River had hit very high levels, with stormwater and drainage systems reaching capacity, it said.
Flood protection assets were deployed in Whanganui due to river level modelling warnings, and people in the Manawatū-Whanganui Region were urged to be careful. The Whanganui River overflowed its banks in places, but flooding was less severe than initially feared at peak river volume and high tide – about noon on Sunday.
However, with the area saturated, people were urged to stay on guard and not to wait for official warnings if they saw water rising: “Head for higher ground and stay away from floodwater.
“Remember, never try to walk, swim, drive through or play in floodwater.”
Warnings, watches in place
Elsewhere, emergency operations staff in Lower Hutt were monitoring river levels throughout the night after heavy rain battered the city on Saturday
An orange heavy rain warnings remains in place for Bay of Plenty east of the Whakatāne River from 6am to 4pm Sunday.
Heavy rain watches are in place from 6am to 8pm Sunday for Auckland south and west of Warkworth and for Gisborne north of Tokomaru Bay.
A rain watch is also in place for South of the Rakaia River, excluding Mackenzie Basin, from 7am to 1pm Sunday.
State Highway 58 in the Wellington Region, between Pāuatahanui and State Highway 2 interchange, was still closed.
While in the Manawatū-Whanganui Region – State Highway 3 from Mokau to Piopio, and State Highway 43 between Whangamōmona and Taumarunui, was also closed.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
