Patient rooms in Whangārei Hospital emergency department close due to leaking ceiling

Severe weather from Cyclone Gabrielle has caused leaks in the ceiling of Whangārei Hospital’s emergency department, requiring some patient rooms to be closed.

Three rooms are out of use in the ED as of Monday afternoon, but the department remains open and operational.

Te Whatu Ora Te Tai Tokerau’s Tracey Schiebli​ said the affected area has been secured and they continue to monitor the space.

“This is not having a significant impact on services at this stage,” she said.

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Northland, including Whangārei, has been hit hard by the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Wind gusts have exceeded 150km/hr in exposed parts of Northland, bringing down trees and powerlines.

In the 24 hours to 9am, 186.8mm​ of rain was recorded at the Whangārei Airport weather station – making it the second wettest February day on record with more than twice the average monthly rainfall for February.

As of 1pm, about a third of Northpower’s customers were without power, with about half of its key lines damaged, chief executive Andrew McLeod said.

Schiebli said they are in an emergency response due to the “unprecedented” adverse weather event.

“Once the rain has eased we will be looking at a permanent solution to the ceiling issue.”

She said it remained very important that everyone goes to the ED only for emergencies, “especially at a time like this”.

If you need to get to the hospital urgently, you should call 111 and answer the questions as clearly as you can, she said.

“Thank you to everyone who has been involved in helping us to put plans in place to keep serving our community and to keep all our people safe – staff, patients and whānau,” she said.

A red heavy rain warning is in force for Northland from 10am on Monday to midnight on Tuesday.

Northlanders are advised to expect a further 100-160mm of rain to accumulate south of about Kaikohe on top of what has already fallen (especially in the south and west), and lesser amounts elsewhere.