State of Emergency lifted in Far North

A State of Emergency in the Far North, that was in place as part of the regional response to Cyclone Vaianu, has been lifted as of 5pm today (Monday 13 April).

The emergency declaration was initially made on Friday 10 April as a precautionary measure after consultation with other Northland councils and emergency services, and was requested by Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management.

While declaring a region-wide emergency in Northland is relatively rare, the move provided the Civil Defence Controller powers that included evacuating premises and requisitioning property, equipment, material or supplies.

Several weather warnings and watches were issued last week by the MetService across the whole of the North Island. This included an orange strong wind warning, an orange heavy rain warning, and a heavy rain watch applying to different areas within the Far North District.

Cyclone Vaianu was expected to affect Northland’s eastern areas the most, bringing severe winds and heavy rain. Many in these communities were still recovering from recent severe weather and there was concern that further inundation would lead to rapidly rising rivers, surface flooding, slips, or that gale-force winds would topple trees and powerlines.

Civil Defence teams based at the council’s headquarters in Kaikohe will continue to work on minor issues that have emerged as a result of the storm.

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Main image – a view of Maromākū on Sunday 12 April.