Person swept away; bridge washed out
EMERGENCY services were searching the flooded Haupiri River on the West Coast late last night after a reports of a person swept away by the swollen river.
Meanwhile, roading crews will head to Arthur’s Pass this morning, after floodwaters swept away a bridge on State Highway 73.
Greymouth police were joined in the search in the Grey District by Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews, as well as members of the public.
The river runs past the Gloriavale Christian community.
The search started at 8pm and the person had not been found late last night.
A section of Goat Creek bridge near Otira was swept away by rising floodwaters
SH73 is the main connection between Christchurch and the West Coast.
A NZ Transport Agency spokeswoman said heavy machinery was ready to be moved to the site first thing this morning. Most of the machinery was in the area already and the roading crews would be ready to go at daylight, the spokeswoman said.
The bridge was replaced in 2010 when the old timber bridge was deemed to be unsuitable and nearing the end of its life.
Otira resident Jess Dempsey told the New Zealand Herald she and her husband had found the bridge just east of town had been washed out yesterday afternoon. She called the weather ‘‘absolutely terrible’’.
There were road snowfall warnings last night for Arthur’s Pass (SH73), Porters Pass (SH73), Lindis Pass (SH8) and the Crown Range Road. Up to 10cm of snow was expected on the passes and about 1cm on the Crown Range. Heavy rain in the West Coast area yesterday closed highways and schools, led to Civil Defence activation in Westland and the 8.15am TranzAlpine train trip between Christchurch and Greymouth was cancelled.
AFTER parts of the West Coast and the Southern Alps got hammered with heavy rain yesterday, the wet weather will today move east, MetService says.
Civil Defence was activated in Westland, police escorted pupils home from school, some Dunedin boys became trapped overnight and roads closed as yesterday’s rain caused chaos.
But the West Coast would be in for a reprieve and the east coast would bear the brunt of today’s bad weather, MetService meteorologist Angus Hines said.
‘‘The main weather feature that is bringing all this rain does stick around for another day, but the target areas do kind of shift a little bit. In general the main rain band is sliding north, but we’re also getting a little low pressure system developing on this front which is going to direct a little bit more rain into eastern areas.
‘‘A lot of the east of the South Island is in line for another very wet day [today] particularly in the first half of the day.’’
Rainfall levels met Met service’s expectations of 250mm to 300mm falling in Westland and the Southern Alps yesterday.
The recording of 240mm rain at Arthurs Pass was Met Service’s highest yesterday, but employee Angela Williams said the service knew of 320mm both the road closure and the falling in inland Westland. cancellation of the Tranzalpine
On the West Coast, Ross and train back to Christchurch Waitaha pupils were sent home meant the hotel was fully under police escort after 1pm. booked.
And at Hari Hari pupils were The NZ Transport Agency facing the prospect of a night at issued a caution for motorists school thanks to road slips late using SH6 between Queenstown yesterday afternoon. and Lumsden about 3.45pm,
Further inland, about 25 year saying surface water had 9 Otago Boys’ High School pooled in the southbound lane pupils were safe but marooned near the Oxford St intersection. in Matukituki Valley in Mt Police sent out a warning to Aspiring National park after motorists using the Crown heavy rains rendered a creek Range to take extra care and impassable, preventing their drive to the conditions after return home. three separate crashes on the
The Hokitika River floodesdame corner of the wet and and threatened to sweep away a slippery road in just four hours. campervan parked on one of the A caution for flooding was river’s islands. put in place for SH90 from
Surface flooding closed State Tapanui to McNab SH1 JuncHighway 6 between Hokitika tion. and Franz Joseph overnight, MetService reported Hokistranding visitors. tika copped more than 800
Accommodation providers in lightning strikes in a 20minute Fox Glacier, Franz Joseph and period yesterday morning. Hokitika were full or nearly full In Dunedin, 30mm of rain fell last night as people scrambled yesterday from 5am. In Inverto find a room for the night. cargill, 27.4mm of rain fell
Bella Vista Motel Hokitika through the day until it shifted north in the afternoon. Balclutha got 44m yesterday, Queenstown received 21mm and Wanaka 19.5mm. Oamaru had only received 2mm by yesterday afternoon, but in the evening and carrying on into this morning rain was still falling and was expected to increase, Mr Hines said.
The rest of the east coast was expected to experience increasing rain with heavy rain watches for Canterbury, Marlborough and Nelson in place today.
The weekend was looking to be ‘‘significantly improved’’ after another wet, cold day today.
‘‘It’s a big ridge of high pressure which is developing over the country during the weekend — all the remaining rain and cloud should clear up on Saturday morning and then from Saturday afternoon and through most of the day on Sunday expect some settled and fine weather.’’