Tropical Cyclone Vaianu is set to make landfall in New Zealand today, with the New Zealand Meteorological Service calling it a “multi-hazard, potentially life-threatening event”.
Rotorua and Bay of Plenty are now under a red warning.
Tauranga City Council has warned of the “potential for flooding levels not previously seen”.
A mobile phone alert issued for the Whakatāne area has told residents to “leave Ōhope, Coastal Thornton, and anywhere they feel unsafe before noon”.
Those who did not evacuate have since been told to shelter in place.
Torrential rain, 140 kilometre-per-hour winds, and 8-metre waves are expected.
Red strong wind warnings have been issued for 130 kilometres per hour winds on Great Barrier Island, Coromandel, Rotorua, and Bay of Plenty.
A regional state of emergency has been declared for Northland and Waikato, including Coromandel.
Local states of emergency have been declared for Hawke’s Bay, Tauranga, Western Bay of Plenty, and Whakatāne.
A 13-hour orange rain warning has been issued for the coastal hills of central Hawke’s Bay south of Cape Kidnappers, Wairarapa, the Tararua Range, and eastern Marlborough.
There is an 11-hour orange rain warning for areas east of Whakatāne in the Bay of Plenty.
The warning is in place from now until 8pm.
Gisborne/Tairāwhiti north of Tolaga Bay is also under an orange rain warning from now until 7pm tonight.
MetService says people on the Coromandel Peninsula should stay indoors or seek shelter away from trees.
Aucklanders have been told to delay all unnecessary travel on Sunday. Some ferry services have been cancelled, and the Auckland Harbour Bridge is likely to be closed for extended periods.
The entire North Island is under either a heavy rain watch, strong wind warning, or heavy rain warning today.
Source: NZ Herald
