Trees have toppled, a power line is down, and 40 households will be spending the night without electricity as Cyclone Pam hits the Chatham Islands.
But Chatham Islands Mayor Alfred Preece said although it had been a "blustery old day" as the storm arrived on Tuesday, he'd seen worse.
Gusts of up to 109km/h pummelled the island, hitting their peak in the morning and easing off during the day, MetService said.
The island has been in lockdown, with schools and businesses closing and flights cancelled, Mr Preece said.
There'd been some general damage, including a power line which had fallen over near his office, cutting power to about 40 households.
It was likely to be about a day before power would be back on as the priority was keeping people safe.
Three roads have been closed due to flooding, falling trees and tidal swells and a wharf at Kaingaroa has been damaged, but authorities hadn't yet been able to examine it.
"I don't want to be an alarmist, but we would certainly love to see the storm abate ... that would help quite a lot," Mr Preece told NZ Newswire.
MetService duty forecaster Ciaran Doolin said the gale force winds were expected to continue until Wednesday, although they had been easing off.
Swells have been forecast to rise to four metres on Tuesday evening and on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management said Cyclone Pam was expected to lie 450km east-southeast of the Chathams by midnight Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the Defence Force said it was on stand-by to help out with the bad weather, but Mr Preece said he hadn't heard anything from them.
Three Civil Defence staff from Christchurch have been helping the local civil defence team.
Meanwhile, the clean-up has begun in Hawke's Bay and the East Coast after rough weather in the past 24 hours.
Hawke's Bay Civil Defence controller Ian Macdonald said high sea waters continued to be a problem in the region.
Seas overtopped the coastal berm in parts of the coast from Clifton to Clive at the 3am high tide on Tuesday, causing flooding, road damage and property damage in a number of areas.
Some people at the Clifton and Te Awanga camping grounds were moved to higher ground as a precaution, while property was damaged in Haumoana.
Share
