Severe Weather: Information for Health Teams and Provider Partners

Friday 11 July 12:30 pm

As a pre-emptive step, officials have declared a State of Emergency in the Nelson and Tasman regions with a series of weather warnings in place.

A local emergency management response for Nelson and Tasman has begun, with a close watch for Marlborough. The key challenge with this weather is the heavy rain falling on already wet ground. There is also potential for increased wind which may cause additional hazards e.g. trees.

We understand that many people in our communities are still cleaning up after last week’s floods.

All General Practices, pharmacies and hospitals remain open, and contingency planning continues. Nelson Bays Primary Health, Marlborough Primary Health, Te Piki Oranga and the Pacific Trust are working closely to support whānau and their needs.

Weather information:

A Red Heavy Rain warning is in place for Tasman District, about and south-east of Motueka and north of Lake Rotoroa. MetService expects the heaviest rain from late this morning until around 6pm today. Rainfall totals could reach 80mm to 120mm, on top of what rain has already fallen, through until 11pm tonight.

Orange heavy rain warning: Tasman district, northwest of Motueka until 9pm Friday

Nelson (about and southeast of Motueka and north of Lake Rotoroa), Marlborough (northwest of Awatere Valley) until 1am Saturday.

While this may be a shorter duration event than last month’s flood, ground saturation means high caution is still needed.

At this stage, MetService does not expect Nelson City to be impacted heavily by this weather event.

Hospital and other essential services remain open.

Below is some practical guidance to help you plan safely:

Getting to and from work

  • If it is safe for you to travel to work, please do so. If you’re uncertain, please get in touch with your manager before setting out.

  • Plan ahead. Check road conditions first and allow extra time to travel. You may also consider alternative ways to ensure you can get to and from work safely. Carry a charged phone, warm clothing, and any medication you may need if delays occur

  • Accommodation is available. If you cannot safely return home after a shift, please contact your line manager or the duty nurse manager after hours, who can arrange this for you.

  • Work from home where possible. Talk to your manager about remote working if that is an option for you.

Staying safe on the road 

  • Limit travel to essential journeys only – we expect further road closures and disruptions, as well as possible slips due to the ground still being saturated from recent weather events.

  • Please use caution while travelling. Allow extra travel time, drive to the conditions, and never cross floodwaters or closed roads. There is guidance for driving in bad weather below. Please make sure you team always know your whereabouts.

  • Mindful of hazards. There may be heavy winds which may bring additional risk of hazards e.g. falling trees

Staying informed 

·         Up‑to‑date weather forecasts, road closures, river flow information and safe‑driving tips are linked below. Please keep an eye on local updates.

www.metservice.com/towns-cities/regions/nelson/locations/nelson

·         Please check the websites to ensure you have most up to date information on the roading. These sites are:

and

Guidance for patients and whānau
There has been an all of government fact sheet developed which will have key contact numbers and information for people to answer common questions. Please feel free to distribute this to whānau. (links below) 

TDC-Wellbeing-Support-Flyer-For-Flood-Affected-Residents.pdf

Fact-sheet-June-2025.docx

Please find attached the fact sheet translated in Samoan and Tongan to use as needed.

Also attached are two resources with important and helpful contact numbers and websites to support people and whānau who are experiencing distress. These are available in hard copy – please contact Marina Curnow (Marina.Curnow@nmdhb.govt.nz) if you would like some sent to you.

 There are fact sheets on other health information that can be found at: 

They are available in multiple accessible languages (English, Te Reo Māori, NZ Sign language, Braille, Cook Island Māori, Fijian, Samoan and Tongan) – scroll to the bottom of the webpage accessed in the link above.

 If you need support or information, please contact the welfare team at CDEM office to let them know.

 

Other useful advice:

Your safety is paramount

  • If you need to see a patient however this is now unsafe to do so due to conditions caused by this event – then they need to ring CDEM Operations to arrange safe transportation

Keep pushing good hygiene practice messages to all - https://info.health.nz/keeping-healthy/protecting-health-natural-disaster/floods-and-health

Welfare information centres - currently open and will remain open until 12pm tomorrow (Saturday 12/7)

  • Ngatimoti School

  • Riwaka Hall

  • Tapawera Community Centre

  • Wakefield Worship Centre

Encourage people you know who are in the affected areas to have a plan should they need to evacuate – plan ahead e.g. encourage people to ask for help from friends and family, clothes, medications etc – or call CDEM Welfare (welfare number)

Our hospitals remain open. Please attend your appointment if it is safe for you to travel. If you’re unable to travel, please let us know as soon as possible. If there are any changes to your appointment, we’ll contact you directly.

Thank you for your continued dedication and kindness to patients, and to each other during this challenging period.  

He waka eke noa: we are all in this together

Emily-Rose Richards