Close to 3,000 homes have been deemed ‘unsafe’ by Auckland Council building inspectors following the impacts of ex-Cyclone Gabrielle.
Council director regulatory services, Craig Hobbs, said that as of 10am yesterday, 2,766 homes across the region had received either red or yellow placards.
“That’s a significant number of impacted people and families,” he said.
The placard figures for Cyclone Gabrielle are:
- Red: 213
- Yellow: 266
- White: 885
“If your property or street has been deemed unsafe, please do not attempt to stay there or access it,” said Mr Hobbs.
“This is not just for your own safety but for our teams, emergency services and partner agencies.”
Civil Defence Centres, shelters, community support hubs, and community-led centres are still open for people needing refuge from Cyclone Gabrielle.
“We will continue to provide this support where it is needed and while it is needed,” the Council said in a statement.
There are now eight civil defence centres, shelters and information hubs open across the Auckland region. Overnight on Wednesday, 61 people took refuge in Civil Defence Centres.
“As we pivot to recovery, we will be closing the Trusts Arena CDC today and moving this centre to Te Pae o Kura/community centre Kelson at 5pm today, Tuesday 21st February,” Council said.
There are still widespread power outages throughout affected communities.
In addition to the crews on the ground, Vector has been sending staff to talk to people in the worst-hit communities to see what support they need while they wait for their power to be restored.
Tap water remains safe to drink and water supply across all sites has been restored, except Muriwai.
In Muriwai, a tanker is providing emergency water, located at Sand Dunz Cafe.
“Watercare are closely monitoring our wastewater treatment plants. They are currently stable, and the wastewater networks have mostly recovered from the cyclone,” Council said.
You can find further information and the latest updates on Watercare’s website.
Meanwhile, six of Auckland Council’s regional parks remain closed and will be reassessed today.
These parks are:
- Ātiu Creek Regional Park
- The western side of Hunua Ranges Regional Park, including Hunua Falls
- Muriwai Regional Park
- Tāwharanui Regional Park
- Te Rau Pūriri Regional Park
- Waitākere Ranges Regional Park
The Waitākere Ranges Regional Park closure includes Te Henga Walkway as the cyclone has caused significant damage to Te Henga walkway, with numerous large slips along the length of the track.
The walkway runs along the coastline between Te Henga/Bethells Beach and Muriwai Beach.
