January severe weather event

**UPDATE 9.30am 22 January**

Weather warnings have now been lifted for the North Island and Far North District Council contractors are out assessing our local road network. State Highways in the Far North are open but please monitor the NZTA-Journey Planner website if you plan to travel.

Three local roads are currently closed due to slips, washouts or other obstructions. Rawhiti Road remains closed while repairs to the bridge at Ngaiotonga are completed and a separate slip on that road is also being cleared.  Other roads closed are: Russell-Whakapara Road and Waikare Road.

Contractors have identified 23 sites impacting the local roading network with some roads affected by two or more slips, washouts or other obstructions.  The full list is below.

We have four road crews clearing roads today in the most heavily impacted areas around coast south of Russell.  One closure occurred overnight in the Elliots Bay area. Contractors aim to restore that road to one lane this morning. Another minor slip is being attended this morning on Arabella Rd at Ōpua. Four roading crews are also checking flood prone sites and responding to flooding reports in the southern and western parts of the Far North roading network. Our northern network has been largely unaffected, although there was flooding in Kāeo south.  The State Highway has reopened. A Wainui Valley Rd community has been cut off due to flood waters. This affecting approximately 16 households.

**UPDATE 9.50pm 21 January**

Road Closure: SH 10 Kaeo & Kerikeri-Waipapa

Flooding: Due to flooding, State Highway 10 is closed in both directions near Omaunu Rd and between Waipapa Rd and Kerikeri Rd. Please delay your travel. Monitor the NZTA-Journey Planner website as other state highways may be closed if rain continues.

**UPDATE 8.15pm 21 January**

MetService weather radar has detected severe thunderstorms near MATAURI BAY and WAINUI. These severe thunderstorms are moving towards the southeast, and are expected to lie near KAWAKAWA, TOWAI, WHANGARURU, ŌPUA and WAIHAHA at 08:22pm and near WHANGAREI, NGUNGURU, MATAPOURI, PATAUA and TAIHARURU at 08:52pm. These thunderstorms are expected to be accompanied by torrential rain.

Impact: Torrential rain can cause surface and/or flash flooding about streams, gullies and urban areas, and make driving conditions extremely hazardous.

Action: The National Emergency Management Agency advises that as storms approach you should:

• Take shelter, preferably indoors away from windows
• Avoid sheltering under trees, if outside
• Get back to land, if outdoors on the water
• Move cars under cover or away from trees
• Secure any loose objects around your property
• Check that drains and gutters are clear
• Be ready to slow down or stop, if driving.

During and after the storm, you should also:

• Beware of fallen trees and power lines
• Avoid streams and drains as you may be swept away in flash flooding.

Roading

As a precaution, the Matauri Bay campsite has been evacuated following a large slip on Matauri Bay Road. Campers are sheltering at Te Tāpui Marae, are safe and well, and will be checked on by council welfare and rapid response teams early tomorrow.

Bay Road and Tauranga Bay Road are currently impassable. A hillside slip has been reported on Beechy Road, Ōpua, adjacent to the community hall. This is currently under investigation.

**UPDATE 4.15pm 21 January**

Significant new slips have closed Manawaora Road and Russell-Whakapara Road on the east coast. The Manawaora Rd slip has cut off the peninsula and is being cleared as a priority. Contractors are aiming to have this cleared by 6pm to provide one-lane access to residents only. The other Russell-Whakapara Road slip will be cleared as soon as possible.

**UPDATE 4pm 21 January**

Twenty roads have been affected by ongoing heavy rainfall impacting the Far North. Of those two are closed, and 13 are down to one lane or are passable only by four-wheel drive vehicles. A full list is below.

The rain is also reducing the capacity contractors to undertake major repairs, delaying timelines on some projects.

The weather system has stabilised and while heavy rain is still being reported in some areas, rivers and streams have coped well so far. However, the Red Heavy Rain Warning remains in place until 11pm tonight and there remains a danger that there will be further slips and flooding. Far North residents are urged to call emergency services on 111 if they, their whānau, or their property are at immediate risk. If you need assistance, please call our 24-hour call centre on 0800 920 029.

There has been flooding in the wider Ōtaua-Punakitere-Waimatenui area as well as on roads in the south of the district. A bridge on Ōtaua Road has flooded.

Far North District Council’s Emergency Operations Centre will continue to operate tomorrow.

**UPDATE 12pm 21 January**

Fourteen Far North District roads have now been impacted by the severe weather affecting Northland with two roads closed and another eight restricted due to flooding, debris and fallen trees.

The two road closures include the Rawhiti Road bridge washout, which occurred on Sunday. Repairs to the bridge abutment have now begun and will require in excess of 40 track loads of material to be transported to the site. Work is continuing, however, a timeline for its completion is yet to be confirmed. Waikare Road, which is often used as an alternative route between Kawakawa and Russell, is also closed due to a road washout.  Work is now underway to reopen the link. Alternative routes for this road are available. A full list of impacted roads is below.

**UPDATE 10am 21 January**

Council opens Emergency Operations Centre

Far North District Council has opened its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), following Metservice warnings that severe weather is set to worsen.

The Kaikohe-based EOC will act as the nerve centre for the council’s response to any weather-related emergencies that may impact the district over the coming 24 to 36 hours.

The most recent MetService weather update issued at 9am this morning raised its warning to a Red Heavy Rain Warning for Northland until 11pm tonight. It predicts another 90-120mm of rain on top of what has already accumulated, possibly more in localised areas. It warns that the north and east will most likely be impacted. Localised downpours of 25-40mm per hour may occur this afternoon.

Far North District Council has not issued a local state of emergency at this stage.

However, it is warning Far North residents and visitors, especially those in remote locations, to avoid travel. If travel is required, they should first check for road closures and delays on district roads on the Far North District Council website, and on state highways via NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi journey planner website.

As of 10am today, only the Rawhiti Road bridge at Ngaiotonga remains closed on the Far North District road network. All other roads in the district are open.  The council will be providing regular updates on road conditions on its website.

EOC staff will be contacting communities in affected areas regularly to confirm local conditions and any welfare needs.

Far North residents are urged to call emergency services on 111 if they, their whānau, or their property are at immediate risk. For more information about staying safe, and regular updates on weather-related events, visit the FNDC website January Severe Weather Event  webpage. Updates will also be shared to the FNDC Facebook page, and Civil Defence Northland will post information as it becomes available.