'We've been here before, haven't we.' Evacuations, submerged cars and closed motorways gave Aucklanders déjà vu today.
The worst weather appears to be over for Auckland, but the city remains under a local state of emergency after a day of torrential rain.
Most areas across the region were hit by rainfall of up to 35mm an hour, causing flooding across some roads and creating gridlock on main routes.
MetService has lifted the severe thunderstorm watch for Auckland and is on track to lift the heavy rain warning this evening.
Meteorologist Georgina Griffiths says the back edge of the rainfall is nearly through Auckland and the risk of the high intensity downpours has reduced.
But a severe thunderstorm watch is still in force for the Bay of Plenty and the Coromandel Peninsula, and the Bay of Plenty is in for a rough night, Griffiths says.
The thunderstorms are expected to be accompanied by torrential rain.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in force for Coromandel Peninsula and the rest of the Bay Of Plenty.
The inclement weather prompted Auckland Emergency Management to brief Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown on what could be next in this year’s series of severe weather events.
Brown, currently on a light rail-scouting trip to Sydney, delegated his mayoral responsibilities to deputy mayor Desley Simpson.
In a statement to media earlier today, Brown said after "carefully considering" advice from Auckland Emergency Management Civil Defence, he made the call to declare a state of emergency based on "the lessons we learn from the Auckland Anniversary floods".
“While I am assured that emergency services are coping with the volume of call-outs at the moment, and that they do not require emergency powers, I consider it is necessary to communicate to the public that this is something to take seriously.
“I am urging Aucklanders to remain calm but be vigilant. Please stay away from floodwaters and open drains. It is important that you follow the official advice of Auckland Emergency Management and Auckland Transport."
Speaking this afternoon, Simpson said she had been in regular communication with Brown and promised to keep him updated until his return, “hopefully tonight”.
“We’ve been here before, haven’t we,” she said.
Simpson said the declaration of a local emergency was a precautionary measure that should impress the importance of prioritising safety for Aucklanders.
“As this is an emerging and evolving situation, I want to reiterate that people should stay updated with the latest messages from Auckland Emergency Management as well as keeping an eye on weather updates from MetService.”
Georgina Griffiths from MetService said Auckland region has reached 90 percent of its annual rainfall within the first third of this year, which can increase risk of flooding or slips.
“We’re pretty soggy,” she said.
She said the risk going forward was another burst of rainfall.
“We’re nearly out of the woods, Auckland – let’s get through to 7 o’clock.”
Meanwhile, Fire and Emergency New Zealand responded to more than 270 incidents today.
Counties Manukau district manager Brad Mosby said these have included flooding, slips, fallen trees and a few trapped vehicles.
Auckland's main motorways have been closed at times - the Southern southbound between Penrose and the south eastern expressway and the Northern near Esmonde Rd were flooded - train services were widely cancelled but were resuming from Britomart to Papakura and Henderson around 4pm, and bus services overloaded by people leaving the CBD.
Several schools evacuated in west Auckland.
Gökhan Edali was driving home when flooding hit early afternoon.
“The car in front of me passed through the flood so I took my car through, and it got stuck. It started floating. The water was about one metre deep.”
As a boy, Edali and his parents moved from Turkey to New Zealand. They expected a paradise, and Eglai’s memories were of “amazing weather – until this year”.
The 29-year-old housepainter has been working on repairs to people’s houses after the previous floods; this week he was driving home to Greenlane, up Onehunga’s Beachcroft Ave.
He didn’t know the waterfront road and the houses on it had been hit hard in the January 27 floods when the sluice gates on the lagoon weren’t opened. Then it was flooded again in Cyclone Gabrielle, when a video of a bus driving through with water up to its windows went round the world.
This week it flooded again. Parked cars were swamped, and so too Edali’s little blue VW Golf hatchback.
“It was stressful when I tried to open the door to escape,” Edali says. “The water just flooded into the car.”
He says Covid and climate change have made the past few years challenging. “Everything just comes on top of each other. I hope it gets better soon."
An emergency alert sent out earlier in the day said: "Heavy rain and thunderstorms are affecting the Auckland region and expected to continue into the evening, potentially through to midnight tonight." It asked Aucklanders to call 111 if life or property was at risk, and to seek shelter with friends and family if necessary.
Auckland Emergency Management has opened a Civil Defence Centre at Te Manawa Library in Massey to assist anyone who has been displaced or needs assistance and Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty said the Government was standing by.
“I urge people in Auckland to check Auckland Emergency Management’s social media accounts and visit www.aucklandemergencymanagement.org.nz and listen to radio for the latest information."
Meanwhile near Whangārei, police have confirmed one student is still unaccounted for inside Abbey Caves after a group of 15, along with a teacher and an instructor, became trapped earlier today.
