Evacuees from Waimārama, Ocean Beach, Te Awanga and Haumoana have been told they can return home this morning, after Cyclone Vaianu veered out to sea and away from the region yesterday afternoon.
Hastings District Council has confirmed there were limited tree falls and the sea swell was lower than expected, with no flooding or damage to infrastructure reported.
All forecasts had the Cyclone hitting Hawke’s Bay directly before it changed direction, meaning the region was spared the impacts seen further north.
A State of Emergency remains in place this morning with a decision on officially withdrawing it to be made later this morning.
More than 580 households were asked to evacuate across coastal communities, including about 50 homes in Haumoana where mandatory evacuations applied.
Hastings Mayor, Wendy Schollum said 16 people and four dogs took shelter at the Hastings Sports Centre civil defence centre last night, and it is understood around 10 people stayed at Waimārama Marae, while many others went to family and friends for the night.
“We are grateful to those people who evacuated early. We know this has been stressful for many, but getting people out early ensured safety for both the community and responders ahead of Cyclone Vaianu hitting our region,” the Mayor said.
“And thank you also to the agencies that worked together to ensure our communities were informed, supported and kept safe.”
Council is asking residents to remain cautious about ongoing risks including sea swell and higher than normal rivers and streams. on beaches. Weakened trees or branches may still fall. Stay out of parks until Council’s parks team can assess large trees.
Libraries, the Flaxmere Community Centre, the Sports Centre, and Splash Planet remain closed today, with all other Council facilities be back to normal hours.
Council says it will also be assessing whether the Osmanthus Gardens Lantern Festival will go ahead tonight as planned.
