Latest news with #WellingtonRegionEmergencyManagementOffice
Otago Daily Times
02-05-2025
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Cold comfort for wind-whipped Wellington
Wellington was under an orange level heavy rain warning until midday, and Wairarapa, south of Masterton, until 3pm. Wellington Region Emergency Management Office said people should expect to see debris and some surface flooding on the roads. "We are still advising people not to travel unless necessary. If you do need to travel, plan ahead, drive to the conditions, be aware of debris and expect delays." A Lower Hutt woman who had a narrow escape from a falling branch as the wild winds ripped through the capital is calling on the council to chop back two pohutukawa trees heavily. Julie Paterson was on Hayward Terrace, in the suburb of Waiwhetū, when she heard a loud crack and ran for her life as a branch fell towards her yesterday. She said it was terrifying and the city council needed to do something about it. More disruptions as flights resume Wellington Airport advised that conditions had eased enough in the capital for flights to begin operating again. However, the airport cautioned that there still may be some disruptions today, depending on the weather. Passengers should check with their airline for specific flight information. The major domestic and international hub was closed yesterday after MetService issued a Red wind warning, with winds gusting up to 130km/h - the strongest in a decade in Wellington. A number of passengers had to sleep at the airport overnight due to cancelled flights and full hotels. Some 200 flights, both international and domestic, were cancelled in and out of the capital yesterday, and there had been a couple of cancellations and diversions this morning. Air New Zealand's head of airports, Kate Boyer, told RNZ's Nine to Noon programme the national carrier cancelled 157 of those 200 flights and upwards of 22,000 customers were affected. "It was an extremely challenging day for us yesterday with Wellington closed throughout the day... so a really high scale of disruption and we know how challenging that is for our customers and the stress and concern that that puts on them so we are working as quickly as we can to recover the network and make sure people can get where they need to go." The winds had dropped to about 90km/h but despite the airport reopening today, she said two flights had been disrupted this morning, including one that was diverted back to Christchurch and one from Dunedin that was diverted to Palmerston North. Boyer said pilots would not land if they deemed it unsafe. Air New Zealand had completed rebooking its international customers and was assisting domestic customers as it could, noting that they could "self-serve" by rebooking themselves using the Air NZ app. The airline was not able to help with accommodation, however it was trying to provide customers with guidance and help with rebooking so that costs did not impact them, Boyd said. Wellington Airport's head of operations Matthew Palliser told Nine to Noon they were operating in recovery mode to clear the backlog. He said some people slept in the airport last night. "Our hotel was full and we had a number of people who had to stay in the terminal, so we kept the heating on and looked after them." Palliser said that number of flight cancellations was rare - even for a normally windy Wellington. "It's highly unusual to have to cancel the flights for an entire day. We do have periods sometimes where flights are diverted because of winds, but to have a whole day was definitely an exceptional circumstance. "If passengers can make sure they are communicating and checking with their airlines that flights are on time, and make sure you come to the airport nice and early as there will be high volumes of people coming through." Meanwhile, Interislander Cook Strait ferry sailings have been cancelled until at least Friday afternoon due to big swells, while Bluebridge sailings won't resume until Saturday. Rainfall update from overnightThings have eased in Canterbury, with more breaks between the wet weather today. Most of the showers should clear by the end of the day Still a wet day in Wellington and Wairarapa however, with Orange Rain Warnings still in place — MetService (@MetService) May 1, 2025 Roads affected Roads on Wellington's south coast remain closed because of debris thrown across them by big seas yesterday. The city council said it was likely sections of the road from Seatoun to Ōwhiro Bay would be closed for much of today while crews check on damage and start a clean-up. The stretch between Lyall Bay and Island Bay is open. Hutt City Council said it remained in an active emergency response and contractors have been out across Lower Hutt overnight clearing debris, unblocking drains and addressing hazards. The Lower Hutt suburb of Eastbourne remains cut off this morning. A slip on Ferry Rd in Days Bay is blocking both lanes with no access in or out, apart from emergency vehicles. Hutt City Council said contractors plan to open one lane for residents. Both lanes of Wainuiomata Hill Rd would be opened for peak traffic travelling to Lower Hutt this morning, though lanes may be reduced at 10am to pull down potentially loose material and mitigate further slippage, which may take a number of hours. The Petone Esplanade around the Cuba St area is experiencing significant surface flooding and people have been told to avoid the area.
RNZ News
01-05-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Roads closed, wind warning remains, but worst of Wellington storm over
High winds have battered Wellington on Thursday, with MetService issuing a red strong wind warning that will remain overnight. Wellington has seen widespread power outages, cancelled flights and flooded roads . Schools and businesses closed early across the city, and people are being asked to stay off the roads, as wild weather continues. MetService said the wind would continue to blow hard into the evening, with gusts up to 120kph, but the worst was over. Wellington hadn't had a red warning, since the categories were introduced in 2019. MetService warned of a threat to life from flying items and falling trees, while the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office advised people to shelter in internal rooms, such as bathrooms. WREMO regional manager Dan Neely said, despite the fact Wellingtonians lived in a windy town, they shouldn't get complacent. "These events can catch people off guard, whether they're driving or they walking... so we just want people to be extra careful." Hutt City Council said severe weather had forced road closures and restrictions in Hutt City. Marine Drive currently has a one-lane 'stop-go' section in Mahina Bay to allow contractors to work on making the road safe. From about 6pm, the road between Howard Rd and Wellesley School would close in both directions - except for emergency vehicles - for two hours either side of high tide, due to expected unsafe conditions. Another high tide is due at 8.40am Friday and, if the road is unable to reopen tonight, it would then reopen about 10.30am. Port Road was re-opened at 3:30pm so people could go home. In line with Marine Drive, the road then closed at 6pm for high tide. Traffic management has been installed on Wainuiomata Hill Road for contractors to work on a slip. The two north-bound lanes for travel from Wainuiomata to Lower Hutt were closed. Traffic was down to one lane in each direction from the base of the Hill on each side. The lane closure will remain until the risk of further slips has been mitigated. Meanwhile, Wellington City Council has closed Moa Point Road, between the southern runway and Spruce Goose Café. Wellington's Island Bay bears the brunt of the southerlies. Photo: RNZ / Mary Argue All flights in and out of Wellington Airport on Thursday afternoon and evening were also cancelled, with the possible exception of QF163 from Sydney, scheduled to land at 11:55pm. Wellington Electricity said some outages were restored, but more had occurred, as trees and debris were blown onto powerlines. "As night approaches, we'll have to stand down some of our crews, due to safety constraints and fatigue management," a spokesperson said. "We have teams in place to take over, but due to the number of faults and adverse conditions, we may not be able to restore all power outages until tomorrow." On Thursday afternoon, 1500 customers were without power in Wellington. In the Lower Hutt suburb of Petone, fire crews and bystanders struggled to secure a roof in high winds. Genevieve Le Roux, who lives in the house, said when she first heard a noise, she thought it was at the neighbours'. "We came to look outside and we realised one of the roof panels was lifting," she said. "When they got up on the ladder, they realised the whole roof was lifting." Wellington Water contractors were pumping floodwater off Port Road in the nearby Lower Hutt suburb of Seaview. Damian Williams said they'd shifted thousands of litres of water off the road and out to sea. A resident in Eastbourne's Days Bay said he and his housemates had boarded up the sea-facing windows of their home two days before the storm struck. He said he had a sleepless night, because of the noise of the wind and sea, and he was concerned about logs and debris in the water impacting the building. Another resident said she wasn't sure if she would make it into work in the Hutt Valley in the morning. She said this morning's commute was difficult in the dark, with logs and debris obstructing the road around the bays, as well as road cones and lane adjustments from seawall work in the area. She had seen storms hit the Eastbourne Coast over the previous 10-15 years and felt this week's storm was not quite as bad, but had been complicated by the winds and sea shifting temporary fencing and construction markers lining the road.
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Scoop
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Scoop
Wellington Region Emergency Management Office - Latest News [Page 1]
Red Strong Wind Warning Issued For Parts Of The Wellington Region We know that Strong Wind Warnings are fairly common for our region and it's easy to get complacent, but Wellingtonians should take this one seriously and be prepared. More >> Wellington Region Conduct Emergency Exercise For Alpine Fault Earthquake Scenario Friday, 8 November 2024, 3:43 pm | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office Staff from the nine local councils in the region activated their Emergency Operations Centres on the day to practice coordinating together. More >> Cook Strait Earthquake Public Information Update Sunday, 6 October 2024, 2:09 pm | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office This is a timely reminder that earthquakes can happen anytime. The correct action to take in an earthquake: Drop, Cover and Hold. If you are in bed, Stay, Cover and Hold. More >> Innovative Post-Disaster Emergency Telecommunications Implemented At Naenae Community Emergency Hub Sunday, 15 September 2024, 11:19 pm | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office After a major disaster like an earthquake or storm, damaged infrastructure and power outages can make it hard for people to stay connected with loved ones and services. This can impact community well-being, as well as response and recovery efforts. More >> Less Than One Month To Go Until Wellington Steps Up For The Long Walk Home! Wednesday, 7 February 2024, 1:36 pm | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office The countdown is on for the Long Walk Home, with less than one month to go until Wellingtonians put on their walking shoes and head from Wellington City to Porirua. The event organised by the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO), ... More >> Wellington Region Emergency Management's Giant Poo Raises Awareness Of Emergency Toilets Wednesday, 26 April 2023, 2:55 pm | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office Wellington Region Emergency Management Office's new campaign encourages residents to plan what to do when they can't use their loo. The Wellington region is crossed by many active faults. A large earthquake on the Wellington Fault would ... More >> Severe Weather And Heavy Swells On The Way For The Wellington Region Wednesday, 20 July 2022, 5:31 pm | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office The Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) is urging coastal residents in Wellington and the Wairarapa, as well as anyone planning to travel around the region, to be aware of the heavy swells and severe weather expected from tomorrow ... More >> WREMO Urges Coastal Residents In Porirua And Kāpiti To Prepare For Heavy Swells Thursday, 9 June 2022, 12:25 pm | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office The Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) is urging coastal residents in Porirua and Kāpiti to prepare for the Heavy Swell Warning in place from midnight tonight until midnight Friday. WREMO Regional Manager Jeremy Holmes says the swell ... More >> WREMO Recommends Coastal Residents Get Prepared For Heavy Swells Wednesday, 25 May 2022, 2:33 pm | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office A Heavy Swell warning for Wellington and the Wairarapa, issued by MetService, is expected to impact coastlines from 6pm tonight until 11pm, Thursday 26 May. The Wairarapa is likely to see a combined wave height of 5.5 to 6 metres overnight tonight, while ... More >> SWELL WARNING Wellington South Coast And Wairarapa Monday, 28 June 2021, 7:21 pm | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office IMPACTS FORECASTED: Further modelling shows that the impacts from this event could be similar to the wave inundation that was experienced during the 2013 Matariki Storm. Detailed modelling suggests that tomorrow morning's high tide is likely to have ... More >> South Coast Communities Better Protected With New Swell Warning System Wednesday, 14 April 2021, 12:05 pm | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office Wellington South Coast residents can now sign up for new Swell Warnings from MetService, which will give locals a heads up when big waves are heading their way. MetService Manager Marine and Regional Weather Services, Michael Martens says they are delighted ... More >> Community Emergency Hubs in the Wellington Region Thursday, 30 May 2019, 9:31 am | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office Earlier this month, the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) launched a campaign to urge people in the Wellington Region to be more prepared for an emergency by finding their local Community Emergency Hub at . More >> Where is your nearest Community Emergency Hub? Tuesday, 14 May 2019, 10:16 am | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office Imagine that a large earthquake has struck the Wellington Region. You've made it home and checked on your family and neighbours. What do you do next? More >> Schools briefed on Molesworth Street building removal Wednesday, 23 November 2016, 10:06 am | Wellington Region Emergency Management Office Wellington earthquake update #24 –Tuesday 22 November, 8pm Schools briefed on Molesworth Street building removal Thorndon schools and pre-schools were briefed this afternoon by Wellington City Council on how the quake-damaged office block at 61 Molesworth ... More >>
