Storm Damage Update 8:30pm 6 Feb

After record rainfall across Taranaki this weekend, rain around the coast and in other parts of South Taranaki is subsiding, but flooding is still present.

If you do come across flood waters, remember do not drive or walk through the floodwater. The water may have washed away parts of the road and may contain debris. Proceed with caution.

Treat all flood water as contaminated and unsafe and do not swim in floodwaters. Our rivers remain very dangerous.

If you become trapped by floodwaters call 111 immediately.

Significant damage has been caused to the districts road network and the following remain closed:

Mid Parihaka Road – bridge flooded.

Weld St/Browne St in Normanby.

Tangahoe Valley Rd – Closed at the 4.1km mark

Rawhitiroa Rd – Mangamingi Saddle (14km from Eltham)

Stent Rd (at the coast) – reported washout

There are also slips and closures on the State Highways.

SH 45 Opunake to Okato – Road is Closed with a detour route in place via Oxford, Wiremu and Ihaia road.

SH 3 between Mokoia and Manutahi - slip

Roading crews will be out across the district assessing damage and repairing roads first thing tomorrow, but many other roads in the district/region may continue to be blocked or disrupted with slips, debris, surface flooding so please avoid driving if possible and take extreme care if travelling.

Due to the record rainfall wastewater overflows occurred in numerous places across the district.

Warning signs have been erected at York St Patea, Mana Bay, Patea Boat ramp, Tawhiti Stream Hawera, Middleton Bay and Opunake Lake. Please do not collect fish/shellfish and plant life or come into contact with the water at these locations. The warning signs will remain in place until levels are considered safe.

As a general rule heavy rain flushes contaminants from urban and rural land into waterways and we always advise people not to swim in streams/rivers for at least three days after heavy or prolonged rainfall – even if a site usually has good water quality.

The record downpour was caused by the same front responsible for flooding and the evacuation of hundreds of homes on the South Island's West Coast.

For example, Cape Egmont – recorded 138mm of rain in just four hours on Sunday, which, in comparison, is the same amount of rain New Plymouth would typically experience across the winter month of July. A total of 463.8mm of rain fell at Cape Egmont between 2am Saturday and 1pm Sunday, MetService said.

“This is truly exceptional rainfall for a station at sea level,” it said.

For weather forecasting information please see www.metservice.co.nz