Gisborne District Council has announced that residents can now receive text notifications when specific rivers are predicted to reach alert levels.

The system, first set up by Civil Defence Emergency Management in 2015, is now administered separately by the council’s flood warning team.

Different from the previous system, wherein the council would contact individuals and nominated flood wardens who then had their own individual lists of people to notify, the new system will directly send out notifications to residents in flood-prone areas in Waipaoa, Waimata/ Taruheru, Te Arai and Hikuwai Rivers.

The council said anyone who wants to sign up for the text notifications can do so on its website by providing contact details and selecting the river or rivers they would like to receive updates on.

The text alert will give details of the river concerned, its current level and predicted highest level, along with the time it will reach the highest level. The alert will also direct people to the council’s website for ongoing updates.

Predicted flood levels can change significantly during an event; anyone who receives a text should follow updates from the website, Land, Rivers and Coastal Manager Neil Daykin said.

“The old service was difficult to maintain, people moved and phone numbers changed,” Daykin added. “The new system allows users to unsubscribe and update their contact details.”