Major floods in Napier, New Zealand

I have been so preoccupied that I have neglected events in my own country

Napier clean-up pauses for another night of heavy rain

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Radio NZ,

10 November, 2020

Flood-hit Napier residents remain on alert as more heavy rain is falling on the city, with another day of rain still to come.

Flooding in Marewa, Napier, on Tuesday. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas

Residents are on the edge of their seats waiting for the downfalls to clear, but MetService has forecast heavy rain overnight for the area and until 8pm Wednesday, with rainfall as intense as 75mm/h possible if there are thunderstorms.

About 250mm of rain hit the Hawke's Bay city on Monday afternoon and evening, causing slips, flooding low lying suburbs, and rushing through properties.

Napier is still under a local state of emergency, and Civil Defence has called on people to avoid any non-essential travel. Anyone in danger is reminded to call 111, and a free phone number has also been set up non-urgent assistance: 0800 422 923.

The city's mayor Kirsten Wise says the Kennedy Park evacuation centre remains open, and around 30 people are expected to shelter there tonight.

After a day assessing damage to properties, Fire and Emergency NZ says at least 16 properties were uninhabitable, and those families have been evacuated. But it was continuing to assess more properties.

Napier Hill and the suburbs of Maraenui, Marewa, Pirimai and Onekawa are the worst hit, and FENZ says damage to some properties is severe.

Anyone concerned about their safety has been asked to try to organise safe places to stay with friends or family, but the Kennedy Park evacuation centre remains open to those who need it.

Three marae are also on standby to provide emergency shelter, in case more places are needed.

There is no boil water notice for the city at this stage, but extra water testing is being carried out by the council, and extra chlorine has been added to the water supply as a precaution.

The flood waters have likely been significantly contaminated with sewage, and people should wash their hands thoroughly after touching it, and discard any food that has been in contact with it, including garden vegetables.

Anyone whose house was flooded has been warned not to turn on their power or gas until their supplier has checked and told them it's safe to use.

The clean-up today in Brewster St, Napier. Photo: RNZ/ Tom Kitchin

The power company Unison says about 140 houses remain without power, down from more than 3000 on Monday night.

Crews worked tirelessly throughout Tuesday to reconnect homes and businesses in the flood-hit city, and would continue tonight as long as it was safe and practical to do so.

Unison says there is far more significant damage to the network than first anticipated.

Meanwhile, the city's wastewater system is still overloaded, and Napier City Council is asking people not take baths, use the dishwasher or flush toilets unless absolutely necessary. And to keep showers short.

The storm has been described as a one-in-250 year event.

Ongoing Civil Defence updates are available here. 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/431039/napier-flood-cabins-considered-for-affected-residents-as-rental-market-dries-up

The city of Napier is running out of water

Napier water crisis: 'There is no need for panic buying'

Napier water crisis: 'There is no need for panic buying'

Radio NZ,

5 December, 2017

It's been almost a month since Palmerston North, Masterton and Levin had more than one-millimetre of rain.

Napier's only been without rain for a week but could run out of water very soon if water restrictions are ignored.

Other places around the country are also imposing restrictions, as temperatures soar past 30 degrees in some regions.

Napier residents got the alarming message yesterday afternoon that their city was in danger of running out of water.

Residents are this morning waking to water in their taps, but are asked not to use too much.

An extra delivery of bottled water was sent to Napier supermarkets overnight.

A spokesperson for Foodstuffs, which runs Pak 'N Save and New World supermarkets, said bottled water sales were extremely brisk yesterday, but there is no need for panic buying.

As well as the overnight water delivery, another shipment is on the way to Napier today and extra deliveries will continue until the water situation in the city settles down.

The council said reservoirs are critically low because residents had been leaving hoses and taps on overnight.

Now they're banned from watering gardens and washing their cars.

Just hours after the ban was announced water levels at the reservoirs started dropping more slowly.

The council's director of infrastructure Jon Kingsford said that's a welcome sign that people are cutting back.

He said in some suburbs water was coming out of the taps black partly because a new bore is pushing water through pipes in a different direction stirring up sediment.

Run the taps for 20 minutes,,,I know it’s contrary to our advice

He said staff are being sent to clean the pipes and in the meantime people with the problem are best to run their taps for 20 minutes or so, until the water runs clear.

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council's Ian Lilburn said the water shortage is restricted to Napier and the hot weather is not causing any supply problems outside of the city.

In Gisborne water use has sky-rocketed over the past couple of days but there are no plans for any bans yet while further south in Wellington people are still not allowed to use garden sprinklers.

Christchurch residents are being asked to save water after almost half-a-billion litres of water was used in the garden city over the weekend.

Councils around Canterbury are getting ready for a hot summer, with some towns already reaching 30 degrees celsius.

A Christchurch City Council spokesperson, John Mackie, said last weekend saw the most water used in a weekend since 2009, with 250 million litres of water used on Sunday alone.

Mr Mackie said residents need to start conserving water, otherwise the city will soon have supply problems and a drop in water pressure.

Water restrictions have not yet been introduced in the city.

In Otago plummeting river levels have stopped farmers taking water for irrigation from the Taieri River and there are also restrictions on the Pomahaka and Kakanui.

Farmer Gavan Herlihy said the past three weeks have been hard going.

Mr Herlihy might get his rain as early as Friday, up north in Napier no rain is expected until next Tuesday

How long will the heat remain?

Meteorologist Hannah Moes yesterday told RNZ the ridge which has been over the country for a couple of weeks is starting to move east, but the hot weather should stick around for the rest of the week.

"There is a bit of a respite for the eastern centres on Wednesday, a very weak southerly will come through but it will still be warm with temperatures in the 20s, just not as high as 30.

"Comparing temperatures from this year to last year, this year we are in the late 20s to early 30s, whereas at the start of summer last year temperatures were in the mid to late teens."

Temperatures throughout New Zealand are also an average two degrees warmer due to La Niña, which causes high pressure.

Ocean temperatures off the West Coast are reaching levels that are 6.5 degrees more than normal, and is expected to rise even further his summer.

Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll says things could get even hotter.

Weather extremes in New Zealand

While the south of the country had frigid temperatures and Hokitika and the west of the Northland, from Kapiti to Wanganui had major flooding, Napier, on the other side of the island (150 miles from Wanganui) had its hottest June temperature on record – 22 degrees Centigrade (72F).

This has not appeared in the print media, but here we are.

Record June temperature in Napier