Flood evacuation plans and sandbagging up to homeowners as cyclone Gita approachesSven Martin Glenduan, north of Nelson, during the Feb 1 storm, when a low pressure system combined with strong winds at king tide. Cyclone Gita was expected to approach New Zealand from the northwest, but uncertainty remained over its speed and track. Ball acknowledged some people didn't follow social media, and urged affected communities to ring each other up, or knock on each others' doors ahead of such severe weather events. Anyone protecting their home with sandbags, needed to do so no later than the day before severe weather was expected to hit. And if we're doing it there, what does that mean for other low-lying areas of Nelson, or areas of exposed coastline?"

Source: Stuff February 16, 2018 04:56 UTC