Autumn's here! Help!

[Glenda]

It seems to happen around this time every year. ?Wet wet weather. ?Heavy rain not for a couple of hours but days. ?It is a bit alarming - toilets that won't flush due to saturated septic tank, the house surrounded by four inches of floodwater, electric going on and off. ?A 30cm bucket left outside was full of water hours ago. ?Saw a car being dragged into a ditch this morning as it came down a steep hill, the force of the water obviously the cause. ?

[smiley=icon_eek.gif]

Cyclone blamed for bad weather in north
Updated 11:00AM Thursday March 29, 2007

Tropical Cyclone Becky is being held responsible for the wet and windy weather currently afflicting the north and centre of the country. ?The storm currently heading towards eastern New Caledonia has now been caught up in the jet stream which is feeding Becky's moisture into a low near New Zealand.

The heavy rain has prompted MetService to issue a number of heavy rain warnings for the North Island, including Auckland.

Flooding was hitting the Far North with several roads closed and likely to remain so for 12 hours until after high tide. ?Roads affected included State Highway One at Kawakawa, State Highway 10 and Whangaroa Rd at Kaeo and Bulls Gorge and Wiroa Rd, Kerikeri.

Households in five Auckland areas lost power this morning following the strong winds and rain.

Up to 70mm is expected to fall before midnight tonight with 50mm possibly being dumped in just a two hour period in some regions this evening, due to thunderstorms.

Several other warnings have been issued for the North Island and some parts of the South Island.

(more on http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/...ectid=10431488)

[Glenda]

The kids school rang to say "pick them up". ?

I go out and find the roads so flooded that I'm praying I'll not break down. ?Then I find the road closed - water pouring from a creek over a bridge.

I go home. ?My neighbour says a friend of hers will pick up my kids and drive them to where the road is closed and they can walk home. ?Yay! ?What a relief! ?Then logic hits - you cannot drive or walk across the bridge - my kids would be stranded in the pouring rain at the other side.

After 30mins of trying I eventually get through to the school and they say they will keep them there ... possibly until tomorrow. ? [smiley=icon_cry.gif]

The driving instructor phones up to cancel Tom's lesson (surprise, surprise). ?He says he is trapped in town as so many roads are closed he can't get to his house. ?

A house to the left of us has a pump going to get the water out of it. ?Two doors on the right - unfortunately they do not have a pump. Fortunately for me the water runs under the house and down to the road. ?

One consolation - my neighbour says that in 17 years of living here it has never been this bad.

:(

[LilAmy]

Oh Glenda, poor you! What a nightmare. Hope you are coping OK with it. I think I'd be running around like a headless chook.

Friends in AKL said there's bad storms up their way. I just hope it bypasses Wellington. We've got grey clouds and some rain on and off but thats all just now.

Fingers crossed you get your kids back tomorrow. At least you can have a quiet night in without them ;)

[missvee]

[smiley=Fright.gif] Iv'e changed my mind, I don't want to go now. How scary.

Shows you the difference between NZ and UK. You get on with it and rally round. Schools here would be calling in helicopters to evacuate the kids. What, teachers look after kids here, no chance!!!
Glenda have you thought of investing in a dinghy? [smiley=Help.gif]
Vee

[Dawn]

Vee's right, here it would be a national disaster just like when we have half an inch of snow, everything comes to a stand still.

Must have been a bit scary seeing that car get washed away though Glenda. How far away is the kids school? What did they do then, just like set up a temporary dormitary in the hall or something? I can't see them doing that here, their insurance wouldn't cover them for such eventualities and they wouldn't dare take the risk. My son's school sent everybody home just after Christmas when it BEGAN to snow because the ground was a bit slippy and they were worried someone would fall and hurt themselves and sue them! Crazy, crazy, crazy! I long for a common sense approach on everybody's part.

Let us know when you've got your kids back safe and sound Glenda. I bet they're loving it, it'll be like a big adventure, they'll be like, 'What's all the fuss about, we were alright. Can we do it again tonight?' Aren't kids great!!!!! :)

[Glenda]

I've got the kids home! ? :)

They were all prepared to go and stay the night at a teacher's house when a bus surprising turned up at the school - the bus company had previously said they could not get to the school (10km away), but thankfully the rain and floodwaters had begun to ease up. ?The driver said he would try and get my kids and one other home as he lived in the same area. ?

This area and Whangarei are on the national news and a lot of people (maybe hundreds!) are still apparently trapped in their cars surrounded by the floods and landslips. ?We had about two months' rain in 24 hours due to a brush with Cyclone Becky. ? This is the latest from the NZ Herald - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/...ectid=10431488

Taking photos was the last thing on my mind at the time - it was definitely an anxious time with water pouring over roads and stranded cars, but have taken a few since. ?

:)

[Dawn]

OMG Glenda! 2 months rain in 24 hours? Jeez, that's a lot of water to have dumped in one place at one time!

Glad the kids are home safe, you must have been anxious.

Your garden looks nice by the way :) even if a bit like a swimming pool at the moment ;) Hope there isn't too much damage for you to have to deal with later, I know you're proud of your garden. Hopefully the sun will come back out and help to get the ground dried out quickly.

[LilAmy]

Oh my gawd!

It's just unreal isnt it...I cant believe the pictures in the papers as well, they were saying so far no one has been badly injured, I do hope it stays that way.

I cant believe we were up your way in Sept of last year and how glorious it was...

[Welshgirl]

Jeez Glenda, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw your pictures! Fortunately, we haven't had that much rain here - enough to top up the water tank but not enough to cause any flooding, although the river is looking rather full. At the moment, the sun is shining and, according to the MET weather forecast, we should be back to normal sunshine by Monday. Keeping our fingers crossed for your area too!

Glad to hear that everyone rallied around and that you got the kids back safe and sound though :) Thanks for taking the time to snap some photos and post them on here to give people a true idea of what happens here sometimes!

[MotherBear]

That was quite an experience, Glenda. Thank goodness you and the kids are safe and sound. At least your lawn has had a darned good watering ;) plus it looks like you may have experienced a little bit of history. * :)

Storm's severity even more unusual than first thought
12:45PM Friday March 30, 2007

The storm that flooded Northland this week is more rare than first thought - as much as a one-in-150-years event in some areas.

It was initially thought to have been a downpour that might be expected about once in every 50 years.

The storm was moving over Coromandel and Bay of Plenty this morning, but MetService said the worst of the weather was now over.

Leading climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger said today that based on statistical models, the intense rainfall in Northland was the kind of event that occurred only once in more than 100 years.

More here .