Help is underway to clear Auckland of the mess from the last severe weather event before Cyclone Gabrielle makes landfall.

Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle is in the Coral Sea moving southeast and reached “severe” category 3 status on Friday.

On Friday morning, MetService issued heavy rain watches for Northland, Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay.

But the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has deployed 100 people across Tāmaki Makaurau on Friday to clear flood-damaged waste from berms and roadsides.

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It has also sent a team to help the Auckland civil defence and emergency management teams with coordinating the emergency response if needed.

Commander of Joint Forces Jim Gilmour said Auckland Civil Defence Emergency Management asked the Defence Force for help, particularly to clear the tonnes of waste lining Auckland’s streets before they are strewn in fresh floodwaters.

Teams have come from the Air Force base in Whenuapai and the Navy in Devonport to help the community wide effort to clean up.

Friday’s deployment of 100 people includes 40 Army, 30 Air Force and 30 Navy personnel, and they will continue working over the weekend.

Auckland Emergency Management has announced there will be sandbag stations open from 8am until 8pm (or until stocks last) in three locations in Auckland over the weekend (February 11 and 12).

They are:

• East Coast Bays Church, 87 Hastings Road, Mairangi Bay 0630
• Glover Park, Glover Road, St Heliers 1071
• 13-15 Westgate Drive, Westgate 0614

There, you can collect sand and fill bags. You’ll need your own shovel.

Meanwhile, the government is urging individuals and whānau to get prepared for the worst case scenario.

Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty said people should prepare grab bags for themselves and their family members, containing clothes, medication, snacks, water, torches and other essentials.

People should remove debris or loose items from around their homes, and tie down any outdoor furniture like tables and trampolines.

Power cuts could affect EFTPOS and ATM systems, so it’s worth withdrawing some cash, he said.

“Cyclone Gabrielle is likely to impact across the North Island with severe gales and heavy rain forecast from Sunday through to Tuesday. That gives us time to plan and prepare – and this preparation is well underway,” McAnulty said.

“It’s difficult to predict exactly what course the cyclone will take, but if the cyclone continues on its current path it’s likely to be a severe weather event impacting communities in Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, northern and eastern Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne.

“The Government is taking this very seriously and is ready to respond to keep people safe and support impacted communities.”

The National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) said you must have three days worth of water – at least nine litres per person, to go with long-lasting food that doesn’t need cooking.

Your emergency kit should also include copies of your important documents, a portable phone charger and first aid kit – including water purifiers and hand sanitiser.

The Northland district councils met on Friday morning with local emergency services and other partners to begin their Cyclone response.

“We are all working on increasing our resources and ensuring they are strategically placed around the region so we can respond effectively as required,” Northland Civil Defence Controller Graeme MacDonald said.

He said the way Northlanders rallied and prepared for earlier red heavy rain warnings should happen again.

“Spending that little bit of time now preparing can make a big difference if this system does severely impact Northland.”

Amid the clean up from the Auckland Anniversary flooding, the Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) has some advice about how to get the most from your insurance if your home is damaged again, or for the first time.

They expect phone lines to be busy so if you can, make your claims online.

“If your property was damaged in the last fortnight’s climate event but now has additional damage, be sure to record the new damage and report that to your insurer.”

But in the aftermath of any damage, please don’t keep unsanitary damaged items in your home, ICNZ Chief Executive Tim Grafton said.

Grafton said he hoped specific advice would “minimise loss and damage and speed recovery”.

Supermarkets are stocking up ahead of the disaster too.

Countdown Managing Director Spencer Sonn said there were hundreds of cartons of essentials on their way to stores so that families could stock up this weekend.

Sonn said the supermarket had become “well practised” in times of crisis, and were working to prepare for the potential impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We’re working closely with our supply partners and have hundreds of trucks on the road with early loads heading to our more isolated stores so they have plenty of stock ahead of the cyclone making landfall, and we’re also prioritising sending extra essentials to all of our upper North Island stores,” he said.

“It’s been a tough couple of weeks for communities across the upper North Island and our thoughts are with everyone who is still recovering from the impact of the devastating floods.

“We’re also proactively working with our community and charity partners to understand what they may need in the coming days and thank our customers for helping us raise $125,000 in stores this week to support flood relief efforts.”