Flooding closes roads
HEAVY persistent rain throughout the weekend caused extensive surface flooding and closed several roads around Dunedin and Mosgiel last night.
About 50mm of rain fell yesterday in Dunedin but began to ease in the evening, when MetService lifted its heavy rain warning for Dunedin and North Otago.
Late last night, Emergency Management Otago director Chris Hawker said staff were not in the civil defence bunker, and were ‘‘reasonably confident’’ the flooding was going to dissipate.
‘‘At this stage we’re not anticipating an emergency, but if it gets more serious we’re ready to activate.’’
Highcliff Rd on the Otago Peninsula was closed overnight between Sandymount and Seaton Rds due to concerns about a potential landslip near Seven Sisters. Emergency services were also responding at 10.30pm to reports a tree had fallen on Portobello Rd near Weller St, blocking both lanes.
A police spokeswoman said officers and Dunedin City Council contractors were responding to reports about 9.30pm of ‘‘deep water all over the road’’ on Old Brighton Rd.
Contractors and homeowners were working to clear blocked drains on Forbury Rd after extensive surface flooding about 9.30pm.
A City Care worker said contractors were busy across the city doing ‘‘damage control’’.
Further up the hill, on Norfolk St, fire crews were responding to reports water was flooding into a home. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said DCC contractors had taken over dealing with the incident.
Other roads blocked because of surface flooding were Neil St between Christie and Carnforth St in Abbotsford, Gladfield Rd in Mosgiel at Ford 704, and Flagstaff/ Whare Flat Rd closed at Ford 701 and 702.
Emergency services were called to reports of flooding at Radius Fulton resthome on Hillside Rd, but plumbers at the scene said it was a false alarm. On North Rd about 9.30pm, water was bubbling up through manhole covers and causing surface flooding at intersections north of Mechanic St.
Water was also beginning to pool on Cumberland St near St David St.
A police spokeswoman said two cars collided at the intersection of Castle and Hanover Sts about 8.30pm, but there were no injuries.
Otago Regional Council natural hazards manager JeanLuc Payan said last night he was keeping a close eye on river levels, but there was not thought to be any risk of the Taieri River breaking its banks.
DCC spokesman Graham McKerracher said he was reasonably confident the surface flooding would not persist for long.
However, he said an ‘‘issue with the drains on Portsmouth Dr’’ meant there was a risk of surface flooding near the Edgar Centre just before 4am today.
ROTORUA: Heavy rain across the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty has turned roads and paddocks into swimming pools and high tide is likely to add to the flooding.
The MetService told the New Zealand Herald last night that up to 180mm of rain had fallen just south of Whitianga and down to the Tairua Harbour in 24 hours, while up to 175mm had drenched Rotorua.
Residents in Ngongotaha have had to flee their homes yesterday due to a stream bursting its banks, which has also trapped about 200 visitors at the Agrodome tourist centre. About 30 homes were evacuated and a state of emergency was declared.
Campers were reportedly trapped at the Wentworth Valley Campground yesterday afternoon, while Waihi Chief Fire Officer Moe Stevens said the Ohinemuri River came close to overflowing through the Karangahake Gorge.
Residents in Tairua have had their homes and properties flooded.
Floodwaters were also lapping across the road on State High way 2 through the Karangahake Gorge yesterday afternoon.
State Highway 25 between Whiritoa and Whangamata was closed due to flooding, along with Hot Water Beach Rd and Wentworth Valley Rd.
The Hauraki District Council yesterday afternoon closed the Ohinemuri River Bridge in Barry Rd, Waihi, as a precautionary measure until it can be assessed by a structural engineer.
MetService duty forecaster Ravi Kandula said another heavy concentration of downpours fell in the Coromandel between 2pm and 3pm yesterday but the weather was due to ease.
While today the remains of the front would bring showers, the weather was expected to start clearing by tomorrow afternoon.
Eastern areas, including Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupo and the South Island were expected to get wet weather again today and tomorrow.
‘‘Through Tuesday and Wednesday it’s going to ease and by Thursday and Friday it’s looking pretty good.’’ — NZME