Newstalk ZB
Northland has appeared to “come off lucky” after Cyclone Vaianu bore down on the region overnight. While the district councils are using the first light to assess any damage, early indications are very little has occurred. Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said it had been “pretty quiet” in his district so far, apart from power outages in the southeastern Bay of Islands and the Hokianga. According to the Top Energy power outages centre, 786 homes have been without power in Ōpononi, Whirinaki, Oue, and Ōmapere since 11pm on Saturday. Power is expected to be restored by midday. Another 373 homes are without power in Rāwhiti, Waikare, and Parekura Bay. That outage was reported at 10.30pm and is expected to be restored at 1pm. “All in all we’re alright,” Tepania said. “As people wake up we’ll start getting calls and information, but otherwise it looks like we’ve come off lucky, which I’m grateful for.” Whangārei District Council chief executive Simon Weston said they were still gathering information as to how the district fared overnight. He said there was a lot of surface flooding but they were still finding out about slips and road closures. Weston advised people to stay where they were and keepout of floodwaters. “When it does stop raining, be mindful that slips can still occur for quite a while after the rain, so people need to be very aware of that.” Southeastern parts of Northland recorded the highest rainfall totals, with Whangārei receiving about 90mm during the warning period as of 6am. Weston also warned about the “very strong winds” expected later today. Gale south westerlies are still forecast to affect parts of Northland as the cyclone’s centre moves southeast away from the region. At 6am, the centre was about 160km northeast of Great Barrier Island. Weston would be attending a multi-agency meeting later this morning, which would paint a clearer picture. He said as information came into the Emergency Operations Centre, it would be uploaded onto Whangārei District Council’s website. SH1 Mangamuka Gorge closed from Sunday at 7pm because of the potential impacts from Tropical Cyclone Vaianu. A NZTA spokeswoman said inspection crews were on site from first light on Sunday morning to assess conditions before determining whether the gorge can safely reopen. A detour is available via SH10. More to come.
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