25/01/2025
⚠️ Update #2 issued 7.35am ⚠️
• Firefighters are continuing to check homes and properties in the area where a tornado affected an area of Mangawhai earlier this morning.
• We have attended calls relating to people needing to be rescued from damaged property, rooves lifted from buildings, trees fallen onto homes, windows blown in and fallen power lines, as well as trees blocking roads.
• We extricated two people and handed them into the care of Hato Hone St John.
• Most of the calls have been from people in the Molesworth Drive and Old Waipu Road area, with a couple from Langs Beach and Ruakaka reporting wind damage.
• We are now working through all the calls for help with property damage and making systematic checks of homes in the wider area.
• Our specialist drone team has been deployed from Auckland and will help with damage assessments.
• Crews from seven brigades have responded to about 16 calls so far.
• Cordons are in place on Moir St and Molesworth Drive and power is still out in the area.
• Treat all power lines as live and stay well away from the area so emergency services can move freely.
Fire and Emergency continues to work with Police, Hato Hone St John and Civil Defence Northland in the coordinated response to the tornado.
Mangawhai Volunteer Fire Brigade Maungaturoto Volunteer Fire Brigade Wellsford Volunteer Fire Brigade Paparoa Volunteer Fire Brigade Warkworth Volunteer Fire Brigade Civil Defence Northland Kaipara Community Civil Defence Kaipara District Council
⚠️Update #1 issued 5am⚠️
Fire and Emergency NZ is responding to multiple calls following a reported tornado in the Northland community of Mangawhai around 3am today.
If you're in the area, make safety your first priority and wait until daylight to assess damage to your property. Treat all power lines as live, and don't drive in the area so emergency services can get through.
Response Coordinator Graeme Quensell says firefighters from several brigades in the area are assisting residents and other crews have been dispatched from Waitemata.
Incidents include roofs lifted from homes, fallen trees and downed powerlines.
About 16 calls have been received from Mangawhai and one from Langs Beach to the North.
An Incident Management Team has been established.
Kaipara Community Civil Defence Kaipara District Council Civil Defence Northland
