Transpower has declared a “grid emergency” after Cyclone Gabrielle caused the loss of power to Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne.
“The outage is a result of flooding to the Redclyffe substation following extreme weather from Cyclone Gabrielle. The Unison and Eastland networks that distribute electricity to the region are currently down as a result,” the company said in a statement.
“Due to the current situation, we are not able to receive comms from Redclyffe substation, but it is likely it is under water. We cannot currently access the site but have a helicopter on standby for further investigation when possible.
“Apologies to all who are affected. Unfortunately, until we are able to gain access to the substation, we will not have a clear picture of how long the region will be without power. However, we are advising that the community should be prepared to be without power for days to weeks, rather than hours."
Residents of multiple Napier suburbs have been told to “evacuate immediately” and “go immediately to your nearest hill” as flooding in Hawke’s Bay continues to worsen.
Residents should take grab bags and animals and escape flood zones right now, Civil Defence warned as the flood crisis reaches breaking point.
But many are questioning how to evacuate to safety, with multiple bridges closed across the region. Residents are also taking to social media to ask about rescue efforts in affected areas, saying they have been unable to contact loved ones in flood zones for hours.
Others say they didn’t receive an emergency alert on their phones - or received them too late.
Not only has the region been hit with heavy flooding, but power, phone coverage, and internet are down or patchy in most areas.
Transpower NZ have lost supply of electricity which has affected all of Napier and some of Hastings this morning.
Many locals are also without cellphone coverage or mobile data due to damaged lines.
Chorus said two fibre lines are damaged in the eastern part of the North Island - the Taupo to Napier line and one running across the north of the region. This is affecting mobile coverage in the Hawke’s Bay region for all providers on top of the power situation, said Telecommunications Forum spokesman Paul Brislen.
“Teams are working to locate the fault or faults on the line but this work is hampered both by the weather and by access to the lines. Staff safety is of paramount concern in such situations so the teams will be proceeding carefully.
“Customers are advised to keep their mobile devices charged if possible and minimise their use for non-essential communications. Calls to 111 are prioritised across the mobile networks so if you have coverage, even from another provider, you should be able to make an emergency call.”
