Two houses have collapsed in the Auckland coastal community of Muriwai last night with latest reports stating two people are trapped in one of the collapsed houses.
USAR teams and fire crews are at the site.
Napier City and Hastings District has become the latest region to declare a State of Emergency with Civil Defence asking all residents living in low lying parts of Esk Valley to evacuate immediately, as the Esk River continues to rise.
Fire and Emergency logged 55 storm-related incidents in one hour from 3-4am, bringing the total for the previous 12 hours to 867
Of the 55 incidents logged between 3-4am, 9 are in Northland, 12 in Auckland, 12 in Waikato, 3 in Bay of Plenty and 19 in Hawke's Bay.
Fire and Emergency is prioritising the response to calls where life and safety is at risk. Currently these include:
Reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Corin Dann from Auckland.
