State of Emergency declared in Northland as precautionary step

A State of Emergency has been declared for Northland as at 5pm Friday 10 April, for an initial period of seven days, as part of the regional response to Cyclone Vaianu.

The emergency declaration was made after consultation with local councils and emergency services, and was requested by Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group Controller Damian Rio and signed by CDEM Group Chair Colin Kitchen.

Mr Rio says region-wide emergency declarations are relatively rare in Northland and the move has been taken as a precaution given the potentially significant impacts that may be seen across Taitokerau from Cyclone Vaianu.

"Declaring an emergency is a step under our legislation which allows the Civil Defence Controller and/or those to whom they delegate authority, access to emergency powers, granting authority to protect life and property in extraordinary emergency events under the Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Act 2002."

The most commonly-used emergency powers include evacuating premises and places, entering premises, closing roads and public places, removing aircraft, vessels, vehicles etc and requisitioning property, equipment, material or supplies. Of these, enabling evacuations is often the key reason for an emergency declaration.

Mr Rio says the MetService today (10 April) issued a suite of weather warnings and watches across the whole of the North Island.

For Northland, an orange strong wind warning is in place for the whole region from 11pm Saturday 11 April until 2pm Sunday 12 April. An orange heavy rain warning for Northland about and south of Bay of Islands to Hokianga Harbour runs from 9pm Saturday 11 April until 9am Sunday 12 April. A heavy rain watch is also in place for Northland north of Bay of Islands to Hokianga Harbour from 7pm Saturday 11 April until 7am Sunday 12 April.

Cyclone Vaianu is expected to bring periods of severe winds and heavy rain across Northland, with eastern areas likely to be most affected. Severe gale winds, shifting from southeast to southwest, could damage trees, powerlines and unsecured structures. Surface flooding, rapidly rising rivers, slips, and hazardous driving condition may also occur.

Mr Rio says at this stage it is unclear whether emergency powers will need to be used, but the declaration ensures the region is prepared should conditions worsen.

"This declaration means we can act quickly if required. It gives us the tools to respond effectively and keep our communities safe if the situation escalates."

Mr Kitchen acknowledges the challenging timing of the event, with the region still recovering from recent severe weather.

"We know this is a difficult time for many communities who are already dealing with the impacts of previous weather events, but Northlanders have consistently shown their strength and resilience," Mr Kitchen says.

"I want to acknowledge the efforts people are making now to get prepared, look out for their neighbours, and follow official advice. Those actions make a real difference."

Mr Kitchen says Northlanders should continue to stay up-to-date with weather forecasts and official information, have a plan in case they need to evacuate, check on neighbours, avoid non-essential travel during the weather warning periods and take extreme care if it was necessary to be on the roads.

Local councils, emergency services and Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management continue to meet regularly and are coordinating closely for this event.

Key updates will continue to be posted on the Civil Defence Northland Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/civildefencenorthland and the Civil Defence section of Northland Regional Council’s website www.nrc.govt.nz

Other useful link for Northlanders:

Your local district council is the best place to both report issues with and get updates on, local infrastructure, such as local roads.

Northland Civil Defence works across the councils to provide local welfare support. If centres or marae are open to provide support, they will be published on the district council websites below:

Whangarei District Council | Phone: 0800 932 463 | Website: www.wdc.govt.nz

Far North District Council| Phone: 0800 920 029 | Website: www.fndc.govt.nz

Kaipara District Council | Phone: 0800 727 059 | Website: www.kaipara.govt.nz

Power outages:

Far North District (Top Energy) https://outages.topenergy.co.nz/

You can phone Top Energy: 0800 867 363

State highways: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/journey-planner