Horowhenua about and south of Levin, Wellington north of the Ngauranga Gorge and the Tararua Range
Levin was hit by a Tornado at approximately 6.30am this morning, causing havoc, taking down trees, impacting power lines and taking off roofs. Horowhenua/Kāpiti is under a severe weather watch. Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) urges people to stay home unless travel is critical.
Minor injuries have been reported as a result of breaking glass. Fire and Emergency have activated an Urban Search and Rescue team, which will work alongside Council’s Building team to prioritise assessment along all the roads and streets that have received damage or are closed. The Palmerston North City Council Rescue Emergency Support team has been deployed to assist. Rangitikei District Council has offered assistance to capture drone footage, to understand the extent of the damage.
Welfare needs:
If you have urgent welfare needs please ring Council’s main number on 06 366 0999, as support is available. Please keep pets and animals sheltered.
Powerlines down and/or damage reported on:
Streets/roads currently closed:
A traffic management has been put in place for North and South Bound State Highway 1 (SH1) traffic. North is being diverted to Mako Mako Road – Tiro Tiro Road – Kawiu Road. South is being diverted to York Street – Weraroa Road – Mako Mako Road. Contractors are working to clear SH1 of tree debris.
The following schools are closed while we assess the damage:
Infrastructure:
Water treatment plants at Shannon and Tokomaru are currently offline due to turbidity. Water storage capacity is sufficient, but as a precaution tankers have been activated for Tokomaru.
The CDEM Incident Management Team has been called in to assist emergency services throughout Levin. Police, Fire and Emergency, St Johns, Contractors, Electra and Arborists have all been activated to assist. We will keep you updated as we know more.
Heavy rain is forecast to start falling in Northland on Tuesday morning as the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Fili head towards New Zealand.
MetService is also warning of heavy rain elsewhere, as Fili tracks close to, or across, eastern parts of the North Island Tuesday and Wednesday.
MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said most parts of the North Island would feel some impact from Fili on Tuesday and Wednesday, coastal conditions could be dangerous on the east of the North Island, and Tairāwhiti could be in line for more heavy rain just three weeks after massive flooding.
Although Fili was no longer a tropical cyclone, as a deep low pressure system, it still posed a big risk. “Around that, we’re going to have very strong winds, the potential for very heavy rain, with some isolated downpours,” Ferris said.
The North Island can expect a pre-Easter battering from the remnants of ex-tropical Cyclone Fili.
But despite strong wind warnings and heavy rain watches in place, the worst should be gone for the long weekend.
In what Metservice is predicting as an exclusively North Island event, there are strong wind and rain watches or warnings in place from Northland down to Wellington.
An additional two safety and quality assurance tests were met last week by CPB HEB, the builder of Transmission Gully, while work continued onsite on pavement remediation and the stormwater system.
Out of 100 safety and quality assurance tests currently required under the PPP contract before the road can safely and legally open, as at 28 January 2022, 54 final test submissions have been received from CPB HEB, of which 41 have been accepted by the Independent Reviewer as meeting the required standards.
Examples of safety and quality assurance tests not yet completed by CPB HEB include tests verifying that any construction defects have been appropriately rectified, tests that relate to compliance with pavement and surfacing requirements, and other tests that show the contractor is operationally ready for road opening.
There were no additional consent tasks completed during the week, however the remaining 10 tasks are well advanced. As at 28 January 2022, 32 consent tasks were complete and 10 consent tasks remained outstanding. Two of these outstanding tasks relate to stormwater management. A fully functioning stormwater system, capable of treating road run-off water to the required standard must be operational for road opening.
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We live in unusual times. It all gets a bit much some days. So we’re bringing you a much-needed dose of positivity to remind you that there’s inspiration, kindness and quirkiness out there too.
Twin baby elephants have been born this week in a rare event at a national reserve in northern Kenya.
The male and female were first spotted by tour guides out on safari at the Samburu reserve at the weekend.
They are only the second set of twin calves ever to have been encountered by local conservation charity Save the Elephants.
African elephants have the longest gestation period of any mammal. They carry their young for nearly 22 months, and give birth around every four years.
Locations of interest are linked to public exposure events. We will not always publish casual contact events for regions that are at Red. We will publish close contact events for all regions. Follow the health instructions if you were at a location on the same date and time shown.
Not all exposure events will become locations of interest if health officials can identify everyone who may have been exposed (for example, a flight, a hairdresser with booked appointments, a private social event). These are considered private exposure events and you will be contacted by a district health board, the Ministry of Health or a district health board public health unit. Please follow their advice.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch
Area: Wanganui, Manawatu, Tararua, Kapiti-Horowhenua, Wairarapa, Wellington
Period: 7hrs 30min from 12:30pm – 8pm Wed, 15 Dec
Forecast: This afternoon and early evening warm temperatures and moisture at low levels combined with cooling aloft are likely to bring unstable conditions and thunderstorms to the lower North Island.
From Whanganui to Wellington and also Wairarapa including the Tararua District there is a risk of Severe thunderstorms bringing downpours with rainfall rates of 25 to 40 mm/h. Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips.
Issued: 8:06am Wed, 15 Dec
Next update: 8pm Wed, 15 Dec
Note: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favourable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. People in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and monitor for possible Severe Thunderstorm Warnings.
For information on preparing for and keeping safe during a storm, see the Civil Defence Get Ready website
All initial tests from household members of COVID-19 cases in Hamilton East and Palmerston North have this afternoon returned negative results.
Results were received for two household members of the Auckland-based truck driver who is isolating in Palmerston North, and eight household members from the case in Hamilton East.
The results of three household members of the Raglan case, who have now all been moved to an Auckland quarantine facility, are expected back later tonight and will be announced tomorrow.
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The Community ALERTS Directory appears as a banner on electronic emails and notices circulated by schools using the School-links communication platform.
