Heavy rain in New Plymouth has caused widespread surface flooding and has forced one school to close this morning.
MetService said the city received 30mm of rainfall in three hours this morning, leading to surface flooding.
Stormwater and sewage has flooded the Calvert Rd entrance of Devon Intermediate.
Acting Senior Sergeant David Miller said a Huatoki Street family had been trapped in their home by floodwater.
The district council has also warned that the heavy rain caused sewage to spill from overwhelmed manholes and pump stations into streams around the city.
There will be signs warning people not to swim at these sites over the next 48 hours or to gather shellfish for 28 days at affected coastal areas.
Six fire and emergency appliances have been pumping out basements and monitoring surface flooding.
MetService said the rain had now cleared in Taranaki, but Taranaki Civil Defence warned water levels could still rise as water ran off the mountain.