Update No 6: 1230hrs 11 July, 2007

Second Night Without Power for Many in North

Thousands of Northpower customers in the Whangarei District face a second night without electricity as the power company struggles to restore a network reportedly hit harder by this week’s storm than 1988’s infamous Cyclone Bola.

Torrential rain and gale force winds left an estimated 11,000 Northpower customers without electricity last night and the company is advising there will still be large numbers without power through today and again tonight. An indeterminate number may be without power until the weekend, especially if gale force winds continue.

Northpower says it is doing all it can, including bringing in staff from outside Northland as far away as Wellington to help get power back on, but the task is being hampered by a lack of access to many areas and the adverse conditions.

Effects are widespread up the East Coast of the District and inland and a Northpower official says this week’s storm has had an even greater affect on the company’s services and equipment than Cyclone Bola, which swept through the region in March, 1988.

Meanwhile, as of lunchtime today, an estimated 1800 Top Energy customers in the Far North District are also reportedly still without power and again, workers are having difficulty accessing areas to restore supply. The fact that often both power poles and power lines have come down in the storm is adding to the difficulty of the task.

On the flooding front, Northland Regional Council Hydrologists say while river levels in the Mid and Far North are typically continuing to drop, people in the Kirikopuni area, west of Whangarei between the city and Dargaville, are being warned to expect further widespread flooding today.

Hydrologist Dale Hansen says the Mangakahia River, which feeds into the Tangiteroria/Kirikopuni area, peaked about 4.30am today at a record 13.95m above normal at Titoki Bridge.

“That’s approximately a metre higher than floodwaters reached during Cyclone Bola. There is also a large volume of water coming from the adjacent Wairua River system, which will coincide about 3pm with the Mangakahia River peak just upstream of the Tangiteroria Bridge on SH14.”

Mr Hansen says this will continue to cause extensive flooding on the lower flood plains and possibly spill over on to SH14 at Kirikopuni.

Further flooding problems may occur when water from the system reaches Dargaville township during high tides about 9pm today and 9 am tomorrow and the situation is being closely monitored.

Hydrologists have also repeated their earlier warnings that people in coastal areas should be wary of tides that might be up to a metre higher than usual today because of the storm.

Weather-related information - including road closures – will continue to be posted as they come to hand on the Northland Regional Council’s website on the following link www.nrc.govt.nz/flooding

Those without power should listen to More FM (91.6FM ) or Classic Hits Radio Northland (96FM).

Alternatively, they can telephone the following organisations for information;
- Far North District Council 0800 920 029
- Whangarei District Council 0800 932 463
- Northland Regional Council 0800 002 004

ENDS

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