By 1news.co.nz
Drone footage has captured the extent of flooding in Hawke’s Bay left by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Napier and Hastings are cut off after rising rivers burst their banks this morning.
In the footage, State Highway 51 can be seen awash with a sea of muddy water.
It comes after Napier City and Hastings District declared a local state of emergency early this morning.
Residents in Omahu and Taradale were forced to evacuate after the Tutaekuri River and Ngaruroro River breached its stopbanks, Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence said in a statement just before noon today.
Meanwhile, evacuations and rescues are continuing in the hard-hit Esk Valley, which saw multiple people needing to be rescued from homes and vehicles along State Highway 5.
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Fire and Emergency New Zealand said earlier today more than 40 households in the rural settlement of Eskdale had been affected.
It follows earlier evacuations in Rissington and Waiohiki. The risk of flooding has also led to evacuations in Waipawa.
Hundreds of roads across the region and impacted by slips, fallen trees and power lines.
Six bridges in Hastings and Napier – including the Esk River Bridge, Waiohiki Bridge, Puketapu Bridge, Fernhill Bridge, Rissington Bridge and Brookfield Bridge – are impassable.
“There are likely to be more bridges affected and not all of the region has net been surveyed,” Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence said.
State Highway 51 between Napier and Clive, and State Highway 50 between Hastings and Napier are now closed.
The region is also seeing “significant power outages” and phone reception is “still extremely patchy”. Power may take several days to be restored in more remote areas after roads were impacted.
Hastings and Napier residents have been asked to conserve water “as much as possible” after the storm “inundated the wastewater network”.
“Water should be used for drinking and personal washing only. Do not use dishwashers or washing machines and avoid showering if possible. The issue is causing toilets to back up.”
The Defence Force is en route to Hawke’s Bay to provide assistance.
