Watch: Auckland Emergency Management give latest Cyclone Gabrielle response update

Beaches on Auckland’s west coast remain closed to the public, Auckland Emergency Management says as it provides an update on Cyclone Gabrielle.

Restricted zones and cordons remain in place in some West Coast communities, and there have been known active blips in the Piha area.

Rachel Kellehe, Auckland’s head of emergency management, says efforts to deliver emergency supplies such as bottled water, food, toiletries and more to remote communities are underway.

Aucklanders are being reminded to ‘please stay away’ from west coast beaches.

On Monday 25th, 20 liter containers containing 91 fuel, 125 groceries, 20 meters of extension cord, a generator and a flexibin were delivered to Karekare.

Pellets with water and food were delivered to Piha and Flexibags and extension cords to Muriwai.

More deliveries should continue throughout the week.

Social assistance, insurance and financial support were available at the community centers in Muriwai and Piha.

Assistance was available daily from 9am to 5pm at the Muriwai ranger station on Mototara Road opposite Sandunes Beach Cafe and at the Piha Surf Lifesaving Club.

In Karekare, a number of government and community organizations provided support including Urgent Assistance, Welfare and Social Support at Karekare Fire Station.

Auckland Council’s Craig Hobbs said anyone with a yellow or red sign is encouraged to take the following steps.

“If you have insurance your first port of call should be your insurance company so file a claim as soon as possible, make sure you take pictures of everything. They will brief you on the process you need to follow will also advise you on the likely construction professionals they will hire or give you permission to provide your own if that option is available to you.

“If you don’t have insurance, you’ll need to contact licensed construction professionals yourself to work through your remediation process. They should be able to advise you on what consent approvals you need to comply with relevant information.”

There were 2766 houses pasted red or yellow in both the Auckland floods and the events of Cyclone Gabrielle.

“That is a significant number of families and individuals who are very aware of the impact of the measures on these individuals.”

People must stay out of homes with red cards and cordoned-off areas, he said.

“The reason we did this is not to cause inconvenience to people, but to keep people safe…the risk to human life is quite high in the areas where we have taken action.”

National Emergency Management Agency warnings for February 20

• Keep up to date with advice from your local CDEM group or from civildefence.govt.nz
• Flooding can be full of sewage, chemicals and other hazardous materials and should be avoided as much as possible
• Flood water can carry bacteria that can contaminate food
• When cleaning up flood water and mud, protect yourself by wearing a properly fitting P2 or N95 respirator, goggles, gloves, long pants, long sleeve shirt and rubber boots or work shoes
• Throw away all food and drinking water that has been in contact with floodwaters
• Do not eat garden products if the ground has been flooded
• During power outages, use torches instead of candles, and only use camp stoves and grills outdoors.
• Conserve water where recommended
• Check the position of pipes and cables before digging; see Chorus’ Before You Dig website and beforeudig.co.nz for all utilities
• The best way to support the response is through financial donations, NOT donations in kind.