MetService has issued a severe weather warning for the Coromandel with strong winds from this evening, 6:00pm until approximately 4:00am Tuesday. East to southeast winds are expected to rise to severe gale gusting 120 km/h in exposed places during this time which could damage trees, powerlines and unsecured structures. Driving may be hazardous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.

The heavy rain warning estimates 100-140mm of rain will accumulate, with 70 to 90mm nearer the east coast with peak rates of 10 to 20mm/hr over the period of 8.00pm this evening until 11.00pm Tuesday evening, easing for a time tomorrow morning and afternoon.

"It's going to be wet and miserable couple of days on the Coromandel, so hunker down and make sure you and your family are safe and prepared," says our Civil Defence Controller, Garry Towler. "Residents and visitors need to be aware and keep up-to date with the weather for the next 29 hours. The duration of this weather event, coupled with high wind and tides, means we will likely have widespread surface flooding, slips and isolation around the District.”

Mr Towler advises you can prepare by securing outside furniture, check stormwater drains around your property, if you can the drains in your neighbourhood, and most importantly review your travel plans through to Wednesday morning. “Make sure you are organised,” he says. “Check NZTA's website before you travel and take care on our roads as this may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly, therefore surface flooding and slips are possible and driving conditions may be hazardous."

Unfortunately, the weather system on its way is likely to further impact residents in the Kuaotunu- Matarangi area through to Wednesday morning.

"The reserves either side of the foot bridge will be boggy and may in fact flood so we’re asking these residents to relocate their vehicles to higher ground for the next couple of days if they’re parked in the current designated spot,” says Mr Towler.

Higgins advised they will continue working on the bridge as long as it is safe, they have a plan to get through the weather to ensure the opening is not delayed.

In weather events, it's always important to stay informed. The more avenues of communication available to you, the better.

Here are some we recommend:

Check MetService for the latest weather forecasts on this weather system.

We'll also include updates on known local Council road closures. If you see a Council road that is impassable due to flooding or a debris, call us on 07 868 0200. If the issue is with a State Highway (eg, the Thames Coast Road, Kopu-Hikuai Road) please tell NZ Transport Agency on 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49) to speak to the call centre team who can also provide traffic and travel information.

Check NZTA's website before you travel for the latest information about road closures or work underway. You can also use their journey-planning website www.onthemove.govt.nz to plan the best route for your journey, taking into account known issues and traffic on state highways.

Red Cross Hazards App - alerts about hazards. Download from the App Store or Google Play.

Local radio - Check stations and frequencies here.

Emergency Mobile Alert - these can be sent to your mobile phone, without needing to download an app or sign up. Check if your phone is capable of receiving them, here

Know your neighbours - phone each other, especially vulnerable people, to check if they're OK.

Waikato Regional Council has set up an online hub for rainfall and flood-related information to help people more easily keep up to date with severe weather events in the region. It can be found here.

We will post regular updates on our Council's Facebook page as well as on our website and email newsletters.

Also follow Waikato Civil Defence on Facebook here and check out their website for updates here.

To report a power outage contact your provider, however to get further information on power outages see Powerco's webiste.

For more on these channels, and other information about staying informed in emergencies, go to the Civil Defence "Never Happens" website.

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