Residents Told to Evacuate
Fears worse to come.
Residents of low-lying areas of Gore and Mataura were evacuated yesterday as river levels rose and people in a third Southland town, Wyndham, were told they would have to leave. Teams of Police went door to door yesterday morning to ensure people were leaving.
Large swathes of farmland were under water and state highways in the area were closed.
Power was off to east Gore, and the main bridge over the Mataura River in Gore was closed to all, but emergency services, Civil Defence said.
Police were also helping evacuate people in Mataura. At 5.30am the Mataura River was 4.3m above normal levels at Gore and 6.5m above normal just south of Mataura. Large swathes of farmland were under water and many roads were impassable.
Southland civil defence officials told people in low-lying areas of the towns to leave their homes and go to friends and family on higher ground or to community hubs set up for evacuees in both towns.
The community centres in Gore filled up in the morning and residents were being sent to Gore High School. Wyndham was likely to flood in the afternoon and residents were told to go towards higher ground at Mokoreta, officials said.
Riversdale residents were put on standby to leave their homes if required.
Southland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group chair Neville Cook said it could be several days before rivers in the area returned to normal, so people should take medication, a change of clothes and personal items.
“Please don’t try and drive in the flooded areas because we suspect in some areas roads will be washed out and the water will be contaminated.
“Fortunately we’ve had time to plan this, everything is in hand now. The Police and the armed services and fire and various other groups are assisting with the evacuation.”
Clutha District mayor Bryan Cadogan said the Clutha River breached at Invertiel, which meant there was no safe passage to the Catlins, and the turnoff had been closed.