Nearly 300 Auckland homes red stickered after floods, more bad weather expected

The emergency response to the flooding in Tāmaki Makaurau is well into its second week and officials say the focus remains on collecting flood-damaged items from households “as quickly as possible”.

Auckland Emergency Management officials are giving their latest daily update from 1pm as the city enters a new phase of recovery from the floods.

Emergency management controller Rachel Kelleher said as of midday on Wednesday, there were 277 homes or buildings with red stickers, 1615 with yellow stickers and 2566 with white stickers.

A spokesperson on Tuesday said the organisation was aware there are still large amounts of flood-damaged items to be collected.

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“Our teams are working at pace to get these items collected as quickly as possible and we thank everyone for their patience at this time.”

The spokesperson said those who were unable to take waste to a transfer station could leave flood-damaged items at the kerbside to be collected.

Items should be secure and placed away from storm water drains.

“Any items that have been in contact with floodwaters will be contaminated and can pose serious health risks,” the spokesperson said.

Deputy mayor Desley Simpson on Tuesday commended the region for stepping up in response to the disaster, from volunteer individuals, groups and external agencies like the Defence Force and IRD.

“We know there is a real passion to help the city recover,” she said.

“There is still a lot of work to be done. We continue to have homes with flood damaged furnishings, families who need support, debris on our streets, beaches and parks that need clearing.”

The update comes as a potential cyclone looks set to hammer the upper North Island early next week.