Flash flooding overwhelms Dairy Flat residents

A deluge of rain so heavy that it engulfed cars, made roads impassable and flooded many properties caused a rapid emergency response in Dairy Flat.

Waters rose quickly after intense heavy rain in the afternoon on Friday, February 24.

Dairy Flat representative on the Rodney Local Board, Louise Johnston, was in the thick of it.

She says Auckland Transport contractors were on Blackbridge Road repairing damage from previous floods and had to abandon that work as the rain fell.

“Blackbridge Road is not normally floodprone, but this downpour was really localised,” she says. “It came down so fast that people had no time.”

Several homes on that road were evacuated, and cars were trapped as the flood waters rose.

Fire and Emergency called on their water rescue team and Whangaparāoa MP Mark Mitchell helped coordinate assistance from surf lifesavers with their inflatable rescue boats.

Silverdale firefighter Andy Creagh, who was on the crew in Dairy Flat, says many members of the public with 4WD vehicles and boats got involved in rescues too. He says in places the water was chest deep and some vehicles were fully submerged.

Dairy Flat Hall was quickly set up by Auckland Emergency Management as a refuge, with some people spending the night there if they couldn’t get home.

Mitchell says since the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods, he has helped coordinate local Fire and Emergency, Police, St John and Surf Lifesaving services in a local response, including setting up a command centre at Silverdale Fire station.

Surf Lifesavers are also search and rescue trained and Mitchell says sadly recent weather events have highlighted the role for lifesavers outside beach patrols.

Johnston says the waters receded fast, leaving large amounts of debris on fences, and in gutters.

A lot of work had been done clearing drains and rebuilding fences since Anniversary Day, and it was frustrating to see those damaged again.

“Every time it rains now, you’re on high alert,” she says. “You wonder if it will be as bad as that all over again.”