Auckland Council has closed all non-essential services as the region prepares for Cyclone Gabrielle.
In a statement, Auckland Council Chief Executive Jim Stabback said libraries, community centres, early childhood education centres, and active recreation centres would be closed today and tomorrow.
In addition to those service closures, only critical regulatory services activities, such as building assessments, will take place, he said.
“We are redirecting our staff to support the Civil Defence Centres (CDCs) or evacuation shelters that have been prepared ahead of the arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle. To keep staff safe and any travel to a minimum, staff have been redirected to the CDC or evacuation shelter nearest to them,” says Mr Stabback.
In addition to redirections to CDCs, some staff based in the Waitematā Local Board area will also be redirected to work in the Welfare Call Centre.
Kerbside rubbish, recycling and food scrap collections have also been cancelled for Monday and Tuesday. Auckland Council is asking people to hold on to their rubbish, recycling and food scraps until their next scheduled collection. Once collections resume, the normal cycle of collection will apply.
This means that residents will have to wait until next week for their usual rubbish collection, and some residents another two weeks for their recycling collection.
Based on current weather reports, the council plans to resume kerbside services on Wednesday 15 February.
“The safety of residents, staff and contractors is of absolute importance through the course of this weather event, and we thank Aucklanders for their patience and understanding under difficult circumstances,” says Mr Stabback.
“We ask that residents bring their bins/bags back onto their property and secure them, along with any rubbish that could be caught by high winds and become a hazard or cause damage. If your collection was cancelled and your rubbish is unsafe to store, you can take it to one of the 15 participating Auckland waste transfer stations free of charge when it is safe to do so, and services resume.”
For a full list of Civil Defence Centres and shelters, please head to the Auckland Emergency Management website. For a list of disruptions to our services and facilities, please visit the Interruptions to Service and Facilities page on the Auckland Council website.
