Flooding on Western Rd. Photo/Ben Fraser
Ngongotaha residents have described their devastation as floodwaters ripped through their homes, forcing the evacuation of hundreds.
Torrential rain has left Rotorua struggling to stay afloat, with a state of emergency being declared in Ngongotaha this afternoon. The flood has been described by locals as the worst seen in decades with the MetService confirming the record rainfall.
Western Rd resident Heidi Te Are was wallpapering her house when she looked out the window and saw the flood. "There is hole in our kitchen floor we are doing up at the moment and I put my hand through it. Water was only one hand span away and I started freaking out." She told her 10-year-old daughter to pack up all her valuables and put them on top of her bed, while Heidi collected their three cats and Axe the dog. They started to walk to the car but when Te Are was waist deep she decided it was too high to cross. "We went back to the house and got the fire brigade in. I put all our stuff in the wheelie bin and one cat on top." She said it was not until after the evacuation that she sat in her friend's car and the disbelief wore off. "Oh my God I'm homeless," she said.
Torrential rain has left Rotorua struggling to stay afloat, with a state of emergency being declared in Ngongotaha this afternoon. The flood has been described by locals as the worst seen in decades with the MetService confirming the record rainfall.
Western Rd resident Heidi Te Are was wallpapering her house when she looked out the window and saw the flood. "There is hole in our kitchen floor we are doing up at the moment and I put my hand through it. Water was only one hand span away and I started freaking out." She told her 10-year-old daughter to pack up all her valuables and put them on top of her bed, while Heidi collected their three cats and Axe the dog. They started to walk to the car but when Te Are was waist deep she decided it was too high to cross. "We went back to the house and got the fire brigade in. I put all our stuff in the wheelie bin and one cat on top." She said it was not until after the evacuation that she sat in her friend's car and the disbelief wore off. "Oh my God I'm homeless," she said.
Flooding on Pioneer Rd. Photo/Ben Fraser
Western Rd resident Colin Berryman had been watching the rain get heavier throughout the day. "You know, there was a little bit of surface flooding. "Then I heard a funny noise inside the house, I went looking for it and it was actually the toilet bubbling. "I looked out the window just in time to see a wall of water coming down the road." Berryman said the water was flowing with a strong current and his first thought was to secure things in the garden. "The water eventually blew out my whole back fence, so it didn't matter. "My house is on stilts, it hadn't come into the house yet when I left." He said his neighbours' houses were underwater. "It had come flooding through my garage, the large chest freezer, it was full, and it had just been pushed up onto its end. "That's what shorted out the circuit board." With the cars up to their door handles in water Berryman, his 16-year-old son and a friend had to be evacuated. "I am definitely worried things will be worse when we do go back to see the house." Having only packed a quick bag Berryman is to spend tonight at the evacuation centre. "All I wanted was dry clothes, if I took off my boots right now litres would pour out."
Flooding on Pioneer Rd. Photo/Ben Fraser
A Ngongotaha resident described her terrifying ordeal in the flooding. Ines Friese, who lives on Pioneer Rd, said water from the Ngongotaha Stream "raced down the road" towards her. "We were just dropping something to my mother-in-law around the corner on Mohi Cres, water just came shooting down the street. "I ran to check she was okay and saw a caravan floating down the road." She said "It was like something out of a horror movie". "There are cars in the water, houses that have their garage underneath and a house down the road that is still being built that is covered. "Floodwater is covering the road and they cannot get out."
Official records show Rotorua had record rainfall of 167.8mm of rain between 4am Saturday to 6pm Sunday. That is 1.5 times the April monthly normal in 38 hours. Niwa said the city had its wettest hour since records began in 1964 when 51.8 mm of rain fell between 10am and 11am. Evacuations started about 3.30pm with some residents moved to the Emergency Welfare Centre at the Energy Events Centre. Water was going through at least 30 properties in Ngongotaha.
Official records show Rotorua had record rainfall of 167.8mm of rain between 4am Saturday to 6pm Sunday. That is 1.5 times the April monthly normal in 38 hours. Niwa said the city had its wettest hour since records began in 1964 when 51.8 mm of rain fell between 10am and 11am. Evacuations started about 3.30pm with some residents moved to the Emergency Welfare Centre at the Energy Events Centre. Water was going through at least 30 properties in Ngongotaha.
Flooding on Pioneer Rd in Ngongotaha. Photo/Ben Fraser
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) led a co-ordinated effort to evacuate residents from the area with council's civil defence teams. Rotorua Duck Tours ferried them from their homes.
Food and hot drinks were awaiting the evacuees as the first busloads arrived. Residents who were able to use their own vehicles drove themselves to the centre. Inside services that had come to support civil defence, including IRD, Housing New Zealand, animal control and social support were set up and ready to help people and their pets. Catering was prepared for up for 200 people.
Food and hot drinks were awaiting the evacuees as the first busloads arrived. Residents who were able to use their own vehicles drove themselves to the centre. Inside services that had come to support civil defence, including IRD, Housing New Zealand, animal control and social support were set up and ready to help people and their pets. Catering was prepared for up for 200 people.
Flooding in Rotorua. Bryce Morrison. Waikite clubrooms. Photo/Ben Fraser
The deluge also trapped 32 people at the Agrodome, who were blocked from getting out on Sunday afternoon. An Agrodome spokeswoman said 12 customers and about 20 staff were safely evacuated later. The Agrodome will be closed tomorrow until full structural checks can be made to the bridge and a full site inspection has been done.
At 5.30pm the state of emergency was declared. "With the severity of the situation escalating with more heavy rain expected before midnight tonight and light rapidly fading Mayor Steve Chadwick made the decision on the advice of emergency services and the acting civil defence primary controller," the council said. Earlier the council said the downpour had overwhelmed the sewerage system. "Some pump stations and the wastewater treatment plant are unable to cope with the volume of water trying to enter. "This has caused overflowing and diluted sewage to overflow the system, which means there is contaminated wastewater entering the stream and lake. As a precaution, any surface water should be treated as contaminated."
At 5.30pm the state of emergency was declared. "With the severity of the situation escalating with more heavy rain expected before midnight tonight and light rapidly fading Mayor Steve Chadwick made the decision on the advice of emergency services and the acting civil defence primary controller," the council said. Earlier the council said the downpour had overwhelmed the sewerage system. "Some pump stations and the wastewater treatment plant are unable to cope with the volume of water trying to enter. "This has caused overflowing and diluted sewage to overflow the system, which means there is contaminated wastewater entering the stream and lake. As a precaution, any surface water should be treated as contaminated."
Police car stuck in Byron Grove. Photo/Alice Guy
Glenholme resident Joanne Beamish-White was disturbed to discover sewage spilling out of a drain under her kitchen window in Wallace Cres. "It was coming right out of the drain and down the footpath," she said. "It is not in the house but I expect it will be under it." Victoria resident Michelle Lihou told her family to pack their gear and valuables in the early afternoon. She said the "swimming pool" of water had not seeped into her house on Pererika St but the drainage was blocked. "The water started coming up the sinks and shower. We cannot flush the toilet because the water kind of overflows into the outer part of the house." Lihou said it was going to be a "pain"to clean up but she was grateful her family was together.
Ngongotaha Volunteer Fire Service Chief Francis Boag said an indundation of calls started about 7am. "All the guys are busy and totally soaking wet," he said just after 10am. He said the brigade's two crews had been all over Ngongotaha, Hamurana and Rotorua. "We are going from one call to the other, all flooding related." Boag said most of the calls related to access problems cause by the volume of rain. "It has been a matter of shifting water away from homes or finding ways to provide a barrier, but the rain is not letting up. It's intensifying by the sounds of it." He said the whole brigade of about 15 people was on deck, and despite delays he was adamant they would get to every callout. "If it's anything that will cause major issues, give us a call. If we are not there straight away we will get to them. In the meantime we need people to be patient and careful around the likes of electronics. For the larger part drivers seem to be driving to the conditions and staying safe."
Ngongotaha Volunteer Fire Service Chief Francis Boag said an indundation of calls started about 7am. "All the guys are busy and totally soaking wet," he said just after 10am. He said the brigade's two crews had been all over Ngongotaha, Hamurana and Rotorua. "We are going from one call to the other, all flooding related." Boag said most of the calls related to access problems cause by the volume of rain. "It has been a matter of shifting water away from homes or finding ways to provide a barrier, but the rain is not letting up. It's intensifying by the sounds of it." He said the whole brigade of about 15 people was on deck, and despite delays he was adamant they would get to every callout. "If it's anything that will cause major issues, give us a call. If we are not there straight away we will get to them. In the meantime we need people to be patient and careful around the likes of electronics. For the larger part drivers seem to be driving to the conditions and staying safe."
Flooding in Rotorua. Te Ngae Rd. Photo/Ben Fraser
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