People around the region are being urged to stay home and not attempt to come into Wellington City due to flooding and highway closures.
Wellington Mayor Justin Lester says those people who have come into the city today by car but live up the Kapiti Coast or in the Hutt Valley need to delay leaving town as roads out of the city are closed at the moment.
It is still possible to travel north as far as Porirua.
There are also major disruptions to train services. Check Metlink for updates.
“We’re hoping the weather will clear later in the day and roads will reopen, but at this stage our advice is to stay where you are and not attempt to travel in or out of the city,” he says. “This advice does not apply to people who live in inner city Wellington suburbs as most local roads are fine at this stage.”
At the moment, State Highway 2 is closed between Ngauranga and Petone. State Highway 1 is closed at Mana.
The Paekakariki Hill Road and Takarau Gorge Road are also closed due to flooding.
For up to date advice on road closures in the Wellington region check Transport for Wellington. Make sure you check the Wellington Civil Defence Emergency Map for up-to-date information about this emergency. This map provides you with critical emergency information specific to your suburb.
Mayor Justin Lester says some people have been choosing to ignore the cordons that are in place in and around Featherston Street.
“These are in place for safety reasons as there is a real risk of falling glass and debris in these areas. People need to use commonsense, respect the barriers and cordons that are in place. It doesn’t take long to walk or drive around them.”
Wellington City Council is strongly urging all commercial building owners and apartment owners and property managers to have their buildings checked by an engineer.
It is the responsibility of property owners to make sure their buildings are safe to reoccupy. If you are concerned your building may not have been checked, talk with your employer, property manager or letting agent in the first instance.
For information on Council facilities, car parks and Wellington City road closures, check City outages and closures.
If anyone is wanting company and a hot drink, all community centres around the city are open except Miramar and Maupuia Community Centre. The community centres that are open are:
- Aro Valley
- New Crossways
- Brooklyn
- Strathmore Park
- Island Bay
- Newlands
- Wadestown
- Thistle Hall
- Johnsonville
- Churton Park
- Tawa
- Karori
- Khandallah
- Kilbirnie/Lyall Bay
- Northland
The Soup and the Night Shelter are open and offering assistance.