Serious flooding throughout the Bay of Plenty overnight has emergency services urging residents to take care in the wet weather and stay inside if possible.
The torrential rain overnight has seen trapped cars and blocked roads with fire crews kept busy attending 72 call outs so far this morning.
A Marine Parade property in Mount Maunganui was hit by flash flooding reaching to the top of the ground level.
Police say torrential rain in Mount Maunganui is causing significant flash flooding across the area.
At this stage a number of roads are water logged including the Tauranga Harbour Bridge, areas around Hewletts Road and parts of Papamoa with police reducing traffic to a single lane at the intersection of Hewletts Road and Tasman Quay to get through the flooding.
Our reporter on the scene says shopkeepers on Maunganui Rd are sweeping flooded water from their premises and many streets are waterlogged. Cordons are in place at several intersections, closing off areas of the Mount and Papamoa.
Tauranga Fire senior station officer Phil Price says he has not seen anything like it in quite a few years with 72 call outs attended, mostly in Otumoetai and Greerton before the Mount area, and the number rising quickly as people wake up this morning.
'We had 13 on the go and 30 waiting on top of the 72 we had attended according to northern communications.”
Fire appliances from Papamoa, Te Puke, Katikati and Omokoroa have been called in to help manage the excessive amount of call outs.
Phil says people need to make sure their drains and down pipes are cleared to prevent the water blocking up and flooding over.
'There's a lot of wet houses out there.”
Sergeant Steve Hindmarsh says the Tauranga Harbour Bridge is very 'touch and go” with traffic reduced to one lane to get through the flooding.
He says parts of Papamoa roads are also under water.
'The best advice is don't go outside and don't drive as your car could stop from being submerged and it creates bow waves which go into people's houses.”
Driving conditions are extremely hazardous and Steve advises motorists to avoid the Mount Maunganui area until this eases.
Thank you for all the photos being sent in. We have been innundated and will make sure everyone is credited when we get a chance. Keep them coming.
Keep checking on SunLive for more updates.
SEND YOUR PHOTOS to newsroom@thesun.co.nz
Flooding on Carysfort street, Mount Maunganui. (Supplied: Terry Jones)
Emergency services in Mt Maunganui.
A police car needed rescuing after being disabled by floodwaters in Tay Street.
11 comments
thanks
Posted on 20-04-2013 07:57 | By Pete Morris
for the timely advisory. Trust that our friends over the bridge are doing ok.
.
Posted on 20-04-2013 08:40 | By whatsinaname
whats the bet every man and his dog will go to the mount to see the flooding. like happened with the tsunami warning a few years ago. every one went to the mount beach and papamoa to see it......... I don't no
Maintenance
Posted on 20-04-2013 08:56 | By Johnney
When you get flooded streets it means the storm water sumps are blocked. This is a result of slack maintenance. Citycare a Christchurch company is responsible. Do you think they give a stuff!!
thanks SunLive
Posted on 20-04-2013 09:00 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
For keeping us up with all the road closures. You are the only media that gets the message out there!
Re April 2005
Posted on 20-04-2013 09:51 | By NZgirl
Just like the floods of Easter 2005
Cenotaph flooding...
Posted on 20-04-2013 16:07 | By ammer01
The main pic to this article is opposite the cenotaph on Marine Parade and also opposite the re engineered stormwater outlet pipe that was replaced with a huge soakhole? The immediate area was landscaped with soft sand and replanted. My question is did this re-engineered design fail, and if so why. Can anyone in the know help out?
Crazy flood
Posted on 20-04-2013 16:36 | By xfiles
Driving to work this morning. It was crazy. Excess water on bridge with lots of cops. Valley road flooded too and part of maunganui road near mount college. Was freaky!!
@Pietro
Posted on 20-04-2013 17:34 | By JAS
No Citycare probably don't give much of a stuff anymore, since they recently lost the contract.
Posted on 20-04-2013 21:28 | By charob
how often do we get torrential rain like we just had. and its hard to stop flooding when most places at the mt are sea level.
Get used to it
Posted on 21-04-2013 09:05 | By Hillbilly
Coastal dwellers residing where once sand dunes and natural wetlands were, that have been destroyed by greedy developers and their associates for houses and the like, will continue to suffer inundation. These natural defenses against natures weather extremes provide protection, take them away and in the end nature will take them back. All we need is one Tsunami to strike(a matter of time)combined with a king tide and heavy wind driven rain and these "expensive" coastal properties will be worth nothing.
Get your facts straight
Posted on 22-04-2013 11:18 | By mata
Obviously Pietro and JAS have nothing better to do than sit in their nice warm dry houses while honest hardworking folks are out there all through the night helping people in need. Maybe you should get your facts straight. City Care were well and truly present at all hours throughout the entire weekend. if you don't have something positive to say- don't say anything at all!
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