Latest news with #rainbomb
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Rain bombs cast cloud over Matatā housing growth
A rain bomb in the hills above Matatā in March this year saw sediment and debris-laden water overtop Moore's bridge closing State Highway 2 and entering private properties. Photo: LDR / supplied Whakatāne Mayor Victor Luca says building more homes within Matatā now would be a mistake due to the potential damage from "rain bombs" and worsening weather. Matatā is one of the areas named in the draft Eastern Bay Spatial Plan as a key growth area for housing, with infill housing of up to 700 homes and the potential for development of up to 800 homes eastward of Pollen Street over the next 30 years. At an infrastructure and planning committee meeting on Thursday, council learned that since August, Whakatāne District Council has spent more than $300,000 clearing sediment and debris from Matatā catchpits after it washed down from stream catchments due to localised "rain bombs". Most of the cost was incurred between between February and May due to several heavy rain events in the hills above the town during that period. Rain bombs are usually associated with burst of heavy rain that has potential to do damage. Luca said it would be a mistake to densify Matatā with what was going on there at the moment. "Climate change is the elephant in the room and we seem to have consistently underestimated the effects. "There's a micro-climate [in the Matatā catchment]. It's not totally predictable, but it looks like things are going to keep getting worse. "These rain bombs that come - this is the second in 20 years but they don't have to be linear, there could be another one in a year or two. "This has to be fixed and the people living there have to be given some comfort." A rain bomb in the hills above Matatā in March this year saw sediment and debris-laden water overtop Moore's bridge closing State Highway 2 and entering private properties. Photo: LDR / supplied After the 2005 debris flow, the council placed sediment and debris catchpits in Matatā both at the Awatarariki Stream on the western side of the town and Waitepuru Stream on the north-eastern side of the town. A $70,000 annual maintenance budget is supposed to cover the cost of keeping these catchpits clear so that the town and lagoon do not suffer debris flooding events. Despite this, earlier this year a heavy rainfall event localised in the hills above Matatā saw sediment and debris overwhelm Moore's Bridge, which crosses the Awatarariki Stream, blocking State Highway 2 and entering properties on Pioneer Place. While some of the cost overrun for removing debris was covered from an emergency stormwater fund, $112,000 of unbudgeted spending needed to be approved which would likely come from an internal loan. This amount also included the repair of a blown out stormwater pipe in Murupara. Three waters manager Jim Finlay suggested this sediment and debris coming down the rivers could be mediated with rock weirs slowing the flow of the water, at an estimated cost to the council of $140,000. "It's terrible that we're just sitting there waiting for this to happen and you have to clean up each time and if you don't you are possibly going to have flooding down the highway and through the town from both of those streams." He likened it to "someone having a party in your house every week and you've got to go and clean up the mess". Councillor Gavin Dennis recently presented to the Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Committee about the Moores Bridge incident which resulted in a debris flood. He asked that the bridge be improved and that New Zealand Transport Agency and New Zealand Rail increase their maintenance on their State Highway 2 and railway bridges. Finlay said New Zealand Rail had since cleared out their culverts on the Awatarariki Stream and had further work planned for clearing culverts on the Waitepuru Stream. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
NSW weather LIVE updates: Huge rain bomb breaks 100-year-old record as floods inundate towns and residents prepare to evacuate - and more pain is coming
A relentless rain bomb is wreaking havoc across the NSW coast. NSW State Emergency Services were called to more than 890 incidents in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning. That figure included at least 118 flood rescues. Several already-flooded towns are set to struggle through two to three days of more rain as a stubborn low pressure trough hangs near the coast. Authorities have issued 12 emergency-level alerts across the Mid North Coast and Hunter. Parts of Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne are seeing the worst of the floods. Follow Daily Mail Australia's live coverage. 23:22 100-year record smashed Intense rainfall and major flooding have hit Australia's most populous state, with a major river rising to the highest level in almost 100 years. Heavy falls are occurring around the NSW Mid North Coast and will continue on Wednesday as a coastal trough slowly tracks north. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned heavy rainfall may cause life-threatening flash flooding. Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Kempsey, Sawtell, Dorrigo, Barrington Tops, Wingham and Yarrowitch are in line for more rain as rivers continue to rise. Locals around the Manning River were warned to evacuate on Tuesday evening as the river surged past major flooding levels. By Wednesday morning, the river was flooding at a level 'never seen before' at Taree, surpassing the 1929 record of six metres, the NSW State Emergency Service said. In the past 24 hours, the SES responded to 892 incidents, including 130 flood rescues, the bulk of which were in Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne. The rescues included several cars caught driving into flood water, and as the night progressed, many people reported rising waters flooding into their homes, with some needing to seek refuge on their roofs, the SES said. 'Unfortunately, we've had a large number of calls for help in areas that were subject to evacuation warnings and we are still assessing how best to access those locations,' state duty commander assistant commissioner Colin Malone said on Wednesday. Six-hourly rainfall totals between 100 and 140mm are possible through the day, the SES warned. WATCH: Latest information from the Bureau of Meteorology 23:19 Man loses houseboat to flooding A man has lost his houseboat as wild weather continues to pound Australia's eastern coastline, with locals warned to prepare to head for higher ground. In the NSW Hunter region, the Myall River is among the areas on floodwatch, with locals warned to be ready to move to higher ground. For Ray, a cleaner at Bulahdelah's Plough Inn Hotel, the rising river has already caused damage. 'My houseboat went,' he told AAP. 'I was looking across the jetty (Tuesday) morning and it wasn't there. 'It's the icing on the cake, (the weather) has been on and off for the last couple of weeks.' The SES warned Buladelah residents to evacuate some areas on Tuesday afternoon. Rain is expected to continue into the weekend amid the multi-day flood event. Taree copped more than 267mm of rain across Monday and Tuesday, among some of the heaviest falls from the system. 23:18 Rain to wreak havoc for days Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino on Tuesday warned the rain causing chaos across eastern NSW could stay for several days. 'Rain will continue to inundate already flooded eastern NSW for another two to three days as a stubborn low pressure trough lingers near the coast,' he said. 'In addition to the 100 to 300mm that's already fallen in the last 48 hours, parts of the Mid North Coast and Hunter could see another 100 to 250mm between Tuesday and Thursday, with heavier isolated falls. 'Rain from this system is also likely to extend further south and west between Wednesday and Friday, soaking a broader area of NSW and the ACT, and even extending over parts of eastern Victoria and Tasmania. 'A separate cold front should also deliver some rain to other areas of southern Australia from this weekend.'
