Evacuation refusal sparks emergency
Severe damage to a flood protection stop bank on the Opihi River near Pleasant Point means a state of emergency for the area could be in place for several days.
The Timaru District Council declared the state of emergency at 10.20pm on Wednesday after two of 10 people from the Mill Rd Huts area, who had voluntarily evacuated several hours earlier, went back to a property.
Sergeant Malcolm Lindsay, of Temuka police, said the resident and their friend left the area by their own accord when the emergency was declared and police went back to the huts to notify them.
Council said a small section of the stop bank was at risk of failing following flood flows from recent heavy rain.
A council spokesperson said Environment Canterbury staff were still assessing the stop bank yesterday afternoon, and it was ‘‘stable but severely damaged’’.
The spokesperson added the damaged area would need to be reinforced before people could return and that meant the state of emergency could be in place for several more days.
South Christchurch residents living on the banks of the swollen
pāwaho/Heathcote river say yesterday’s flooding is the worst they have seen in recent years.
About 42.4 millimetres of rain had fallen across Christchurch by 1.30pm yesterday, MetService said, as severe weather caused chaos throughout parts of the country.
On Eastern Tce, at the tip of the Beckenham loop, water from the river had risen to about knee height for anyone standing on the footpath. The road was closed and residents were mostly confined to their homes.
Most homes in this area were elevated, so floodwater was only in driveways and gardens.
Nearly 3000 residents in Wellington’s Eastbourne were cut off
as extreme weather and swells closed roads and cancelled ferries.
The Hutt City Council (HCC) advised Eastern Bays residents to stay at home where possible, and to avoid unnecessary travel until the weather clears.
Marine Drive on the east coast remained closed as strong winds and heavy swells hampered the clean-up operation.
A wave of up to 10m was recorded earlier yesterday, at the Wellington harbour entrance, and regular 6m waves were coming through, MetService meteorologist Luis Fernandes said.
It was predicted they could still get bigger, he said.
A heavy swell warning was in place yesterday afternoon.
All flights in and out of the capital were cancelled yesterday afternoon until further notice.
Mahina Bay resident Christina Ricke Buckley said she saw waves crash over smaller cars, as vehicles attempted to navigate Marine Dr at high tide, about 11am.
‘‘The conditions were treacherous,’’ she said.
At one point, a bus stopped and the driver got out and cleared debris from the road, before continuing on. Some Eastern Bays residents she had spoken to said it was the worst weather they had experienced in 20 years.
Earlier, a Cook Strait Bluebridge ferry circled the harbour for several hours, unable to berth due to powerful winds.
Bluebridge ferry spokesperson Wendy Pannett said its sailings yesterday afternoon had already been cancelled.
The morning ferry was unable to leave the harbour as weather conditions deteriorated quickly and came in earlier than expected.
Wellington Harbourmaster Grant Nalder said a catamaran that had been moored in Lowry Bay, Lower Hutt, had broken free and was washed against the seawall. The owner had been working on the catamaran for a ‘‘number of years’’, Nalder said. ‘‘It is going to be a heartbreak.’’