Gisborne deluge cuts power to dozens

BY MICHAEL FOX

Torrential rain has left dozens of people without power north of Gisborne this morning.

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Three families who had road access to their farm washed out on Monday are also still isolated, with authorities hoping to free them this morning.

However, Civil Defence said the worst of the rain in the region is now over, with a heavy rain warning lifted for all but the southern hills of the district.

Civil Defence controller Jon Davies said they had gotten off lightly considering they had as much as 300mm of rain in some areas over two days, described as the highest in years.

"All rivers in the district were up to alert level and threatened to flood over roads but did not quite do so."

"The whole area is saturated with a number of slips and slumps. Surface flooding will continue for a few days so extreme caution is required on the roads," he said.

Around a dozen sports fields were also forced to close due to the rain but calls to emergency services were described as minimal.

Authorities are working to restore power to people in the Te Araroa, Waikura Valley and Mata Road areas.

Temporary vehicle access for the families isolated at Matahiia, inland from Ruatoria, will be assessed today. They could walk out if they wished, Mr Davies said.

Several roads remain closed and others are considered marginal for 4WD access.

Mr Davies warned people to avoid swimming in flood waters because of contamination from wastewater overflow.

However, there was no problem with drinking water, he said.

In Hawke's Bay, State Highway 2 remains closed between Napier and Wairoa this morning after a slip caused by the heavy rain.

"A couple of rural houses came close to having water go into their house but there has not been much damage reported to us," Mr Davies said.

Heavy rain has turned to showers in the region and is expected to ease today though some areas may still receive a further 100mm on top of what has already fallen.

The MetService is advising motorists to drive with caution due to surface flooding and to keep up to date with the latest forecasts.

- with NZPA

- © Fairfax NZ News