Keep safe by staying out of cordoned areas
With cordons in place in Molesworth Street and other spots around the city, Wellington City Council is reminding people to stay safe by keeping out of these areas.
City Council Civil Defence Controller Gunther Wild says whether these cordons are tape, plastic barriers or fences, they are there for a good reason – often because of concerns glass or other loose materials could come down.
“Strong southerlies are forecast tomorrow, so it’s incredibly important people stay out of these areas.
“The Council and other emergency services don’t have the resources to have people stationed at all of these spots, so we urge people to use commonsense until the necessary checks have been carried out and the areas are declared safe.”
He says Council building inspectors are still being rostered around the clock and building owners also have their engineers doing more thorough checks of buildings now.
“As these are carried out, what we are seeing is that some building owners are identifying issues that need further investigation.
Pipitea Street was closed to traffic between Murphy Street and Moturoa Street again this morning and will remain closed until further checks are carried out on the façade of Pipitea House. Pedestrians can still get along this street safely.
A cordon is still in place around NEC House on Taranaki Street for safety reasons and one lane of Taranaki Street is closed in this vicinity. There are still some concerns about damage to the façade and further checks are required.
25 Tennyson Street, an apartment building, was evacuated on the advice of the building owner’s engineer. The crèche opposite was also evacuated.
Tennyson Street is closed to traffic and pedestrians for safety reasons.
An emergency assistance centre will be open until at least 8pm tonight in the hall adjacent to Prefab (18 Jessie Street). This is mainly for people who have been effected by evacuations in this vicinity today.
Contractors are continuing to work around the city clearing slips and fallen trees following yesterday’s storm.
Mr Wild says with more heavy rain forecast for tonight and strong southerlies forecast tomorrow, there could potentially be more slips and trees down.
“The current expectation is that it could take at least a week to clear debris,” he says. “Our priority is keeping main roads and arterial routes open.”
For people who live in Wellington City, the Wellington Civil Defence Emergency Map has critical emergency information specific to your suburb.
For public transport updates, check the Metlink website.
For up to date advice on highways in the Wellington region, check the NZ Transport Agency website.
For further updates follow us on Facebook or Twitter or refer to Wellington Region Emergency Management (WREMO).