Plimmerton's Chief Fire Officer says the flash flooding the are has suffered today is the worst he’s seen in 25 years.
Carl Mills told 1 NEWS this morning's flooding has caused at least 15 properties to become uninhabitable which has left staff working to have a welfare centre set up at Plimmerton Fire Station where there would be catering for residents and support for those needing somewhere to stay.
"We are working to clear wider slips, drainage damage and threats to trees falling, so it's been quite a significant event," Mills said.
"We were here from 9am and it was what I would call normal flooding that I've seen before - just trying to help people.
One resident used a boat to get around the closed roads near Karehana Park.
"But in one hour the water came up significantly to an area that had flooding that I haven't seen in my 25 years here.
"It really was above and beyond what people have experienced."
Mills said if people didn't have to travel through Plimmerton or on State Highway 1, they should avoid the area.
He added there were two streets that are affected which are "in the valley where the water has congregated".
Fire services have since visited 65 properties affected by the flooding in Karehana Bay, and Fire and Emergency New Zealand have set up a control truck on Moana Road to assist those affected, the council said.
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