Friday 23 February 2018 1200 hrs
Cyclone Gita Update 008
State of Emergency moves to Notice of Transition

Following consultation with Mayors, emergency services and other key agencies, it has been determined that the State of Emergency is no longer required.

As at 12:00pm the State of Emergency has been terminated and shifted to a Notice of Transition.

This notice of transition affects the Tasman District area only, due to the impacts from ex-Cyclone Gita being in the Motueka/Riwaka, Marahau and Golden Bay areas. It provides the Group Recovery Manager with powers to ensure the recovery efforts can continue in a managed way.

Relief and welfare operations will continue for the next few days, and the Civil Defence Emergency Operations Centre will remain open to support these efforts.

Golden Bay Update:
Barges will continue to deliver essential supplies through Port Tarakohe.

Under the notice of transition, the fuel conservation plan in Golden Bay remains in place, with a $30 fuel limit per vehicle per day. Operators are happy that this is currently meeting the urgent needs of those in Golden Bay.

A safe parking area for vehicles that must be left in Golden Bay temporarily has been established at the A&P Showgrounds in Takaka.

Local commercial air operators are still running services for those who want to fly into or out of Takaka. As the road to Totaranui is open, there are also commercial options for leaving Golden Bay by boat.

Tasman District Roading Update:
Tasman District Council have 16 teams out clearing roads around the district. 4WD single lane access is now available on most affected roads, though some controlled access will be in place.

Brooklyn Valley Road, Rocky River Road and Hearing Stream Road are still closed.

Contractors will be working on ensuring essential access and will not be able to assist private residents. Residents are asked to please source their own contractors if they need work undertaken on their properties.

There is a significant amount of debris on and around these roads. Residents are asked not to move debris onto the roads as this can block essential access. Residents are asked to store debris on their property until other arrangements can be made.

Cellular Connectivity Update:
Spark has provided a mobile cellsite. This will be in place at Sandy Bay to improve connectivity in this area.

State Highway 60 Takaka Hill - Update:
An update on SH60 will be provided by NZTA as soon as practicable (potentially Friday evening).

Marahau Update:
Only two properties remain without power in Marahau. The only road in remains via Kaiteriteri.

Abel Tasman Open for Business:
DoC wishes to inform local and tourists that the Abel Tasman national park is open (up to Totaranui).

Motueka / Riwaka / Brooklyn Valley:
Six response teams are conducting further welfare assessments today, checking all properties in this area. Civil Defence and Red Cross teams will continue this work through the weekend and into next week.

Navigation Safety Warning:
Due to a significant amount of debris in the water (including large logs and some shipping containers), we recommend that boaties do not head into Tasman Bay unless they urgently need to do so.

ENDS.

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