Widespread flooding across west and north-west Auckland
Thunderstorms and heavy rain in the early hours of this morning has caused widespread flooding across west Auckland and west Rodney, in the Henderson, Ranui, Waitākere Ranges, Swanson and Kumeu areas.
Landslips have been reported, including on Piha Rd, and there is severe flooding in the Kumeu area. Auckland Emergency Management has deployed both of its Western and Northern Response Teams to assist Police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand operations in the area.
Auckland Emergency Management Deputy Controller Rachel Kelleher says the situation continues to evolve.
“Daylight means we’re able to assess the situation more comprehensively and we’re continuing to gather information about the number of people affected with response teams currently out on the ground.
We want to remind people that if they can stay at home safely, please do; but if you do need to leave, please do not drive through floodwaters. Contact 111 if you or your property is in immediate danger.
“We do have resources on standby in case we need to provide shelter for anyone that needs to evacuate their homes.
“Those in the Henderson area can head to the main council building at 6 Henderson Valley Road to seek shelter and the Kumeu Community Centre at 35 Access Road, Kumeu is now also available through until 8pm and will reopen at 8am tomorrow morning. At this stage, these sites are open for shelter only, but we will continue to evaluate the level of need out in the community to see if there is further assistance we can provide.
“Alert Level 4 does add another level of complexity but the key thing to remember is that getting yourself to safety overrides COVID-19 protocols. However, we do ask that if you do need to burst your bubble, please remember to wear a face covering and try to maintain physical distancing as much as possible and keep a record of who you have been in contact with.”
COVID-19 means very strict protocols at Civil Defence Centres too.
Need help?
- If your life or property is at risk, phone 111
- If you can safely stay at home, please do
- If you need shelter visit our Civil Defence Centre at 6 Henderson Valley Road, or at the Kumeu Community Centre at 65 Access Road between 8am and 8pm.
- If you need help with accommodation, food or can't make it to a Civil Defence Centre, phone us on 0800 22 22 00.
Important COVID-19 advice if evacuation is required
Evacuation advice overrides any COVID-19 Alert Level requirements to stay at home. If you are advised to evacuate by authorities because of an emergency, please follow the evacuation advice. Stay two metres away from others if you can and if it is safe to do so. Wear a mask or face covering only if you can grab one quickly and it will not delay you leaving.
Roading and transport information
Auckland Transport has reported that there have been a number of roads affected by the flooding.
Please keep an eye on Auckland Transport’s Facebook page for updates on road closures and other weather-related issues as the situation continues to evolve - facebook.com/akltransport
We urge people to stay away from the impacted areas, but if you do need to get out on the road, please do not drive through floodwaters.
Offers of assistance
We understand in times like these that people want to help and although we appreciate the offers of assistance, however our Welfare team’s inbox is getting a little overwhelmed. This means it is taking us longer to get to those requests for help.
Please only get in touch if you are in need of assistance so that we can reach out to those who do need help more quickly.
It is also important to note that under Alert Level 4, people should not be leaving their homes unless it is essential. Please do not drop off goods at community centres during this time. Sticking to our bubbles will help to keep everyone safe.
Animal welfare
If you do need to evacuate your property, please take your pets with you if it is safe to do so, or take them to a safe shelter place.
If you have to leave your animals behind, make sure they’re in a secure and sheltered place either inside or outside your home.
If you have livestock or horses in paddocks near waterways that have the potential to flood (streams, rivers etc.), move them to higher ground.
For further information, please refer to the Ministry of Primary Industries fact sheet.
Insurance claims
Insurance Council New Zealand (ICNZ) has provided some advice for those that have been affected by today’s weather event to help with recovery and support a smooth claims process.
- If your property is damaged, contact your insurance provider as soon as possible.
- If you rent your property, contact your landlord and your contents insurance provider as soon as possible.
- For those with homes that are uninhabitable, you may be eligible for a temporary accommodation benefit included in most home and contents policies. Ask your insurer what support they can offer.
- Take photos and videos of any damage and note down the details of valuable items.
- If it’s safe, don’t dispose of anything until you’ve spoken to your insurer as it will help speed up the assessment of your claim.
- Throw away food and drinking water that has come into contact with floodwater, including canned goods. Be sure to take photos of perishable or unsanitary items before you dispose of them.
- Always wear protective gear, including gloves and masks, in case you’re exposed to hazardous material. Most flood waters are sewage polluted.
- If you can, clean and dry your house and everything in it, this is because when things get wet for more than two days, they usually get mouldy.
- If you need to, make your home safe, sanitary and weather-tight but if possible don’t do non-essential repairs. Get essential services repaired and keep copies of invoices.
- Do not do anything that puts your safety at risk or causes more damage to your property.
- Get gas and electrics checked before using any appliances.
- Be wary of wet machinery or electrical items. This means that if your car has been submerged in water don’t turn it on or attempt to drive it. Similarly, don’t use any appliances or machinery that may have been water damaged.
- For businesses affected, work with emergency services to understand how you can access your premises in keeping with lockdown restrictions so you can see what damage there has been and how you can progress the steps noted above.
With Auckland at Level 4 the process to assess the resulting damage is likely to look different than normal, with insurers likely to use a variety of socially distanced methods such as video.
