Nelson residents evacuate as Maitai River breaches banks

NELSON: A state of emergency has been declared in Nelson as residents were told to evacuate their homes immediately after the Maitai River breached its banks.

After a deluge caused by an ‘‘atmospheric river’’, the area experienced a month’s rainfall in just 15 hours yesterday, causing major flooding and slips in the region.

Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese referred to the flood as a ‘‘one in 100year event’’.

Some 223 homes were evacuated in parts of Nelson, while video showed floodwaters beginning to encroach on the town centre.

Westport, Seddonville and Mokihinui residents were also warned the Buller River could peak this morning.

Nelson resident Sam Lagrutta recalled the moment police officers told him and his sister they had just five minutes to evacuate and get to safety.

‘‘I was running up the hill to grab a water pump, thinking I just needed to empty the front yard, and when I got to the bottom of the hill, police were there saying you have five minutes to get out.

‘‘I literally just grabbed a carryon bag and filled it with my passport, wallet, and anything important I could find.’’

Unfortunately, Mr Lagrutta said the only important thing he could not locate were his cats, which he hoped were safe as he watched on from a hill, as the Maitai River’s swollen water made its way towards his house.

He said that originally, evacuees could not leave the area due to slips and bridge closures.

‘‘They told us to leave when we could. We all had to go up the hill because there was a slip on one exit and they had closed the bridge that was the other exit.

‘‘There was no way to get out of the area.’’

He described the situation as being ‘‘frightening’’ and a ‘‘bit out of control.’’ He was yet to hear from authorities about when he would be allowed back into his home.

As of last night, MetService has its highest Red warnings for heavy rainfall for Buller, the Nelson region and Westland.

MetService meteorologist Ashlee Parkes said the heavy rain was expected to last until tomorrow.

‘‘There might be a slight easing overnight, but it won’t be much.’’

Over the next 24 hours, a further 400mm of rain was expected to fall in the region, doubling the monthly average.

Any respite tomorrow might be fleeting as more heavy rain is forecast for the weekend.

The static atmospheric river which sits across the entire west side of New Zealand is the cause of the severe weather.

The ranges northwest of Tasman had last night recorded 350mm, while 100mm had fallen at Rai Valley in Marlborough, 230mm at Franz Josef on the West Coast and 125mm at Hokitika.