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June 23, 2023
Emergency in Te Tairāwhiti as more heavy rain due
Atereano Mateariki
Posted On June 23, 2023
Download AudioGisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz has declared a state of emergency for Te Tairāwhiti as more heavy rain hits areas still recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle.
Civil defence and emergency group manager Ben Green says Te Karaka residents were given early notice to evacuate and a civil defence centre was set up at Te Karaka Area School.
“Whanau were already self-evacuating, You’ve got quite high levels of anxiety in all our river catchments around the rohe at the moment,” he says.
State Highway 2 between Ormond and Matawai is closed, and there are warnings on the road heading south to Wairoa and Napier.
State Highway 35 is closed past Ruatoria because of a drop out.
Metservice has issued a red warning for heavy rain in Gisborne until Sunday, and heavy rain is also expected for Coromandel Peninsula and the western Bay of Plenty on Sunday and Monday.
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