Cyclone Gabrielle update - 14 Feb 2023
Cyclone Gabrielle updates
Final weather update for 14 February 2023 - 4.30pm
Customer centre update:
There’s certainly been a lot going on in the past 24 hours – we appreciate your patience and understanding as we respond to weather related issues.
From 4:30pm Monday 13 Feb through to 1:40pm today, our customer centre received close to 400 calls for information, support and requests for service.
Crews continue attending callouts - if you have any issues to report, please phone council on 07 348 4199 (24/7), who will log a job and attend on a triaged basis.
Road closures:
Progress has been made to clear roads closed by the storm overnight but the situation changes rapidly. Consult Waka Kotahi Journey Planner for the most up to date information on road closures – all current local closures are listed on our latest update below this one (4.22pm).
Power outages:
We understand there remains unplanned outages in some areas in the Rotorua District – please check out the Unison outage webpage for further information.
Sports field closures:
All Council sports fields will be closed for the remainder of the day and we’ll continue to monitor the grounds and update as required.
Forest closures:
The Tītokorangi and Whakarewarewa Forests are now open, however the DOC tracks remain closed – please keep an eye on the Rotorua Trails Trust page for further trail updates.
Rubbish and recycling collections:
If tomorrow (Wednesday 15th) is your usual kerbside collection day, you can put your red lid rubbish bin out as normal. Yellow lid recycling and blue glass recycling has been cancelled today and tomorrow due to road and plant closure disruptions in Auckland and Coromandel where our glass and yellow bin recycling are sent for processing, so please keep these bins in. These areas are far more affected than Rotorua, so we appreciate your understanding with this.
Lake warnings:
Please note there is a temporary DO NOT SWIM alert in place for all of the Bay of Plenty region for 2-3 days after heavy rain as many swim spots in these areas will have a high risk of contamination. No signage will be erected as this is general advice for all waterways.
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Tuesday 14 February 2023 - 4.22pm
As at 4.22pm, our crews have updated the status of the callouts below:
- Awatea Terrace – Treefall on road.Third party had cleared.
- Brett Road – Fallen trees on the corner berm of Brett and Rerewhakaaitu Road. Crew inspected, not affecting road.
- Waitawa Place – Treefall over berm and kerb. Third party had cleared.
Road Closures still in effect:
- Hatupatu Drive - Work is planned to start here tomorrow (15 Feb)
- Dods Rd - Large underslip from previous weather event near start of the road.
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Waka Kotahi – State Highway closures – update 1.45pm 14 February 2023
There are multiple hazards across roads in the Bay of Plenty region. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency warns against any unnecessary travel. This is an evolving situation and Cyclone Gabrielle is still causing hazardous driving conditions.
State Highway closure status:
- State Highway 35 (SH35) is now open for essential travel between Ōpōtiki and Hicks Bay on the Bay of Plenty side. Caution is advised.
- State Highway 35 Hicks Bay to Gisborne CLOSED.
- State Highway 2 Ōpōtiki to Gisborne CLOSED - Multiple hazards. Contractors are working on clearing SH2 as a matter of priorty. Gisborne is currently isolated due to closure of all arterial highways.
- State Highway 2 Pukehina to Matata CLOSED - Due to multiple slips, SH2 is closed between Herepuru Road and Old Coach Road.
- State Highway 30 Whakarewarewa CLOSED - Closed due to fallen power lines near Scott street.
- State Highway 29 Lower Kaimai – CLOSED - Due to multiple fallen trees, SH29 is closed between Hanga Road and Old Kaimai Road
Progress has been made to clear roads closed by the storm overnight:
- State Highway 33 – Open under STOP/GO
- State Highway 30 East from State Highway 3 to State Highway 34 - Open
- State Highway 5 North – Open
The situation is changing rapidly. Consult Waka Kotahi Journey Planner for the most up to date information on road closures.
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Tuesday 14 February 2023 - 12:52pm
As at 12.52pm, our crews are responding to the additional callouts below:
- Arawa Street – Footpath slippery with the debris. Crew has cleared. Further work required to sweep debris from road.
- Awatea Terrace – Treefall on road. Tree moved, further work to clear debris.
- Brett Road – Treefall corner berm of Brett and Rerewhakaaitu Rd. Crew on-route to inspect.
- Holland Street – Treefall - crew attended and cleared.
- Millar Road – Treefall on side of road. Crew attended and cleared. Further clean-up work required.
- Mountain Road – Treefall near top of Mountain Rd. Crew attended and cleared.
- Okoheriki Street – Treefall blocking Rd outside #21. Crew cleared to allow traffic to pass. Further clean-up work still required.
- Opal Road – Treefall in cul-de-sac. Crew attended and cleared.
- Paradise Valley Road – Treefall near speedway. Crew attended and cleared.
- Paradise Valley Road – Slip near speedway. Road clear but further work required.
- Pohutakawa Drive – Treefall over driveway and footpath. Cleared attended and cleared. Berm still to be cleared.
- Sunset Road / Hayne Crescent Intersection – Treefall on footpath and road. Crew attended and cleared.
- Tunohopu Street – Road shoulder damage with hot ground water (geothermal). Crew has inspected and plan underway.
- Waitawa Place – Treefall over berm and kerb. Debris still to be cleared.
- Whakatau Street – Treefall partially blocking road. Crew on-route to clear.
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Tuesday 14 February 2023 - 11:45am
Water outage update - Amohau Street
Water has been restored to approximately 15 out of the 20 properties affected by the burst water main on Amohau Street. Residents in the affected area have been visited and delivered water as requested.
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Tuesday 14 February 2023 - 9.45am
While it doesn't affect what is already underway in Rotorua, a national state of emergency has been declared by the government following advice from National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in response to the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle. This covers the six regions across New Zealand which have declared regional states of emergency (including the Bay of Plenty).
This declaration does not affect what is already underway in Rotorua, it just allows response teams the ability to move national resources across the country to assist those areas that have been most affected.
This declaration enables the government to support regions that have been most impacted and set priorities across the country for the response.
The main impact to Rotorua has been the strong winds overnight, causing numerous treefalls, power outages and road closures across the district, and our crews will continue to attend these callouts today. If you have any weather related issues to report, please phone council on 07 348 4199 (24/7), who will log a job and these callouts will be attended to based on priority.
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Tuesday 14 February 2023 - 6.45am
MetService recorded 59mm of rainfall in Rotorua yesterday, with the majority of this falling after 6pm.
The rain coupled with high winds overnight caused many treefalls around the district which our crews will be responding to throughout the day.
The Orange Heavy Rain and Strong Wind warning in place for the Bay of Plenty was due to be lifted by MetService at 8am this morning.
Our crews will continue to monitor the situation and are working hard to respond to all callout jobs based on priority. We will provide further updates throughout the day.
Glass recycling and yellow bin recycling collection is cancelled for today (Tuesday 14 February) and Wednesday 15 February due to processing disruptions caused by the weather. Rubbish collection for today (Tuesday 14 February) and Wednesday 15 February will operate as normal, but please expect some delays as trucks find alternative routes for areas impacted by treefall. For those areas affected by the recycling cancellations tomorrow and Wednesday, please hold onto your recycling until the next scheduled collection day.
If you are unsure of your next scheduled recycling collection day, you can find kerbside collection dates for your address here - https://bit.ly/3YKepC9
If you need to report a weather related issue in our district from last nights events, if you need assistance, or if you feel unsafe, you can phone council on 07 348 4199 (24/7). If it is an emergency phone 111.
If you do have to drive on the roads today, please drive with extreme caution as there is likely to be debris, treefalls, slips, washouts and surface flooding around the district.
Our crews are currently responding to the following:
ROAD CLOSURES ON LOCAL ROADS:
- Allen Road - Large tree blocking the whole road - Larger equipment required to clear and open the road.
- Dods Road - Large underslip from previous weather event near start of the road.
- Hatupatu Drive - Several fallen trees, with one across the road - A lot of debris on the road. Larger equipment required to clear and open the road.
- Totara Road - Large tree across the road - Crew attended last night and put up closure signs. Larger equipment required to clear and open the road.
ACCORDING TO WAKA KOTAHI, STATE HIGHWAY CLOSURES NEAR ROTORUA INCLUDE:
- State Highway 30 near Tumoana Road – road closed due to a fallen tree blocking the road near the intersection of State Highway 30 and Old State Highway 30.
- Rotoma - State Highway 30 between State Highway 33 and State Highway 34 closed due to multiple slips and fallen trees.
- State Highway 5 near Oturoa Road – closed due to multiple fallen trees across the highway.
- State Highway 2 Gisborne to Opotiki – road closed due to severe weather conditions and flooding.
- State Highway 35 Okitu to Opotiki – road closed due to severe weather conditions.
WATER OUTAGE:
We were alerted to a burst water main on Amohau Street at approximately 12:30am, Tuesday 14 February. The main was assessed but due to the severity of the weather at that time and proximity of large trees, was deemed too dangerous to repair and the water was turned off for safety reasons. As at 9:00am, approximately 20 houses remain without water as crews attend the site to undertake repairs.
CALLOUT JOBS:
- Alastair Avenue - Treefall across the road. Crew attended and cleared. Further clean up work still required.
- Allen Road - Treefall blocking the whole road. Crew attended and closed the road, see above. Very large tree right across the road, requires larger equipment to move. Road has reopened.
- Amohia Street - Large tree branches on the road. Crew attended and cleared. Berm/shoulder still to be cleared.
- East Road -Treefall blocking both lanes. Crew attended and cleared. Further clean up work still required.
- Edmund Road - Tree down blocking one lane. Crew attended and cleared. Berm still to be cleared.
- Fairy Springs Road - Tree across the footpath and road. Crew will attend today.
- Hatupatu Drive - Large tree blocking both lanes. Crew attended and closed the road, see above. Several trees along the lake side have fallen over with one large tree near the end blocking the whole road. Larger equipment need to remove.
- Lake Road (Near the 3rd Place Cafe) - Treefall across the road. Road open both lanes. Site visit with RLC to decide what to do with what is left of the tree on the retaining wall.
- Lake Road / Ranolf Street intersection - Treefall blocking one lane. Crew attended and cleared.
- Longview Road / Birch Road intersection -Treefall blocking the whole intersection. Crew attended and cleared.
- Okareka Loop Road (between Tarawera and Summit) – Treefall partially blocking the road. Crew has just got through the Tarawera treefall, enroute to clear this one.
- Plateau Road - Slip and treefall blocking both lanes. Crew attended and opened to 1½ lanes and set up traffic management . Large tree, further clean up work still required.
- Poutakataka Road - Crew returning from Totara Road come across two trees across the road. Crew cleared, but further work required.
- Pukehangi Road - Road slumping near road culvert - Crew attended and advised there had been no change since the site was inspected earlier in the day. Currently signed with “uneven surface” and a 30km speed restriction. Road will be rechecked this morning (Tuesday 14).
- Puriri Crescent - Treefall partially blocking the road. Crew attended and cleared. Further clean up work still required.
- Tarewa Road - Tree across the footpath and road. Crew attending.
- Tarewa Road -Unconfirmed reports from motorists passing the treefall crew, of a slip blocking at least one lane further up Tarawera Road. Crew is on site clearing tree and slip.
- Tarawera Road (near Forest Place) – Treefall partially blocking the road. Crew attended and cleared. Further clean up work still required.
- Tarawera Road (615m up from Forest Place) – Treefall fully blocking the road. Crew attended and opened to one lane, Stop/Go traffic management set up. Further clean up work still required.
- Tarewa Road (opposite Redwood Road) - Tree down. Crew attended, found a few branches and cleared these.
- Totara Road - Tree across both lanes - Crew attended and closed the road, see above. Very large tree right across the road, requires larger equipment to move.
- Totara Street - Tree down covering ¾ of a lane. Crew attended and cleared. Berm still to be cleared.
- Vaughan Road - Tree down blocking one lane . Crew attended and cleared. Berm still to be cleared.
- Warwick Drive - Tree down blocking both lanes. Crew attended and cleared. Further clean up work still required.
- Whirinaki Valley Road - A few trees in the area which had fallen were cut up and removed off the road by our crew when they were attending the Totara Road job - Further cleanup will be required.