After a week of unprecedented rain and devastating floods, the city remains in a state of emergency as recovery work continues.
In this latest update from Civil Defence, Auckland Emergency Management duty controller Rachel Kelleher said a property at Shore Road in Remuera was demolished this morning.
There were over 250 red-stickered properties and 1351 yellow-stickered, Kelleher said.
There are now 27 roads closed around Auckland, she said.
She said homes damaged by floods and landslips stretched across the whole region.
However, it will take weeks and months to determine the full extent of damage.
The floods and slips had caused loss of life, extensive damage and would no doubt cause heightened emotion among those affected, Kelleher said.
However, emergency management and others had lots of staff out on the ground trying to help and complete recovery works
Flood scam warning
Authorities are also warning of possible scams related to the floods. If people are visited by someone seeking donations, then Aucklanders should take time to check their accreditation, Kelleher advised.
Kelleher said Aucklanders should check the bona fides of those visiting homes claiming to assess damage as there had been reports of people “scoping out” properties.
Aucklanders who are having trouble caring for their pets can access temporary accommodation at pet shelters, she said.
Even if people have not microchipped their animals, they are welcome to use the shelters. They will not face penalties.
There has been over 300 applications for relief money from the Auckland Council Emergency Management Relief Fund.
Central Government, council and private donors have contributed more than $1.3 million to it.
Payments to affected Aucklanders should begin to be made from Tuesday.
There are also additional government funds that can be accessed through the Ministry of Social Development.
When asked about buildings suffering partial flooding from rising spring waters, Kelleher expected those waters to recede in the coming days.
The springs that are flooding areas of the city are being caused by groundwater levels reaching record highs.
State of emergency
Mayor Wayne Brown yesterday announced the state of emergency would be extended another seven days because the clean-up is ongoing.
Despite that, sun-starved Aucklanders can finally glimpse fairer weather.
“Very definitely the worst is over in Auckland,” MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakker earlier said.
It will be welcome news for a sodden city after a week of deadly downpours.
The long Waitangi weekend weather is forecast to be partly cloudy with some showers likely, but nothing like Monday night and last Friday’s deluges.
“Auckland will be considerably better this weekend, a few spots of rain around, but nothing like what has been seen,” Bakker said.
Travellers looking for a break from Auckland are urged to show caution.
AEM controller Rachel Kelleher said people should keep an eye on weather forecasts and road conditions for the long weekend.
“We still have a number of roads throughout the region that have closures or partial closures in place,” she said.
Flash floods could happen quickly and people should not wait for official warnings before heading to safety, she said.
Those staying in the city should also be careful when outdoors.
Auckland Council said there were potential hazards in and out of the water at beaches around the region.
“Contamination and debris washed into the water by the storm means the water is not safe to swim in, with all urban beaches showing a black ‘do not swim’ status on Safeswim,” the council said.
Some sports fields are beginning to be reopened, while others remain closed to allow the grounds to recover.
Council teams are also looking to assess the more than 4000 parks and hundreds of walking tracks in the region for hazards.
In the hard-hit Coromandel, Thames-Coromandel District mayor Len Salt declared a “pre-emptive” state of emergency at 1.35pm yesterday because of the potential for further slips.
Salt said residents and even tourists were welcome to travel to the east coast of the Coromandel provided they did so with care and followed guidance.
However, a difficult clean-up and road-reopening operation would continue along the west coast and State Highway 25A after a series of slips.
