Care Needed as Heavy Rainfall Causes Disruptions and Road Closures
Surface flooding, slips and wastewater overflows have occurred at several locations in South Taranaki following heavy rain across the district preceding cyclone Dovi.
Surface flooding has been identified in areas around Opunake, Te Kiri and just south of Eltham Road on SH 45, Wiremu Road from Ihaia to Kiri, Oeo Road, Etham and Kaponga.
The following roads are closed:
Tangahoe Valley Road is closed with trees down
Morea Valley Road with slips
Waiteika Road (just 200 metres from the Eltham Road intersection)
White Rd – off Moumohaki Rd south of Waverley large slip
Rawhitiroa Road closed at Mangamingi Saddle
SH 45 from Rahotu (at the intersection of Mid Kahui Road to Oanui (at the intersection of Upper Kina Road) is closed
For up to date information on road closures/incidents on State Highways (SH 3 and SH 45) got to the Waka Kotahi NZTA website here.
Wastewater overflow 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.
Residents are advised to only travel if necessary and not to drive through flood waters as there could be debris or the road could have moved underneath. Please stay out of floodwater and rivers and treat all floodwater as contaminated and rivers as dangerous
If you become trapped by floodwaters call 111 immediately.
Along with the heavy rain Tropical Cyclone Dovi is expected to bring strong winds starting tomorrow. These south to southeast gales are forecast to be severe at times, with gusts reaching up to 130km/h. Strong wind gusts could damage trees, powerlines and unsecured objects. Driving may be hazardous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.
Please tie loose objects down and clearing around properties to ensure nothing can blow around and cause damage or injury.
MetService has also issued a wave warning for Mōkau to Cape Egmont. Waves are expected to rise to 4 or 5 metres on Sunday and these heights may be affected by the path of Cyclone DOVI. At this height advice is to be careful when at the beach and river mouths.
For weather forecasting information please see www.metservice.co.nz
Our Council emergency management team is liaising closely with Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management and we are both monitoring the weather and river levels carefully.
The Waitotara River is currently rising and has reached its first alert level at just over 6 metres at Rimunui Station.
We recommend you keep an eye on our South Taranaki District Council facebook page and the Taranaki Civil Defence facebook page for information and updates over the weekend.
It’s also a good idea to download our Council Antenno App if you want to receive alerts/notifications to your mobile phone. It's incredibly easy to download and use. Click the link for instructions. https://www.southtaranaki.com/our-council/antenno
