Rivers rise, roads close
■ Emergency declared ■ 100 trampers rescued ■ Heavy rain in Gore
A state of emergency was declared in Southland yesterday as extensive flooding causes significant problems across the region.
In Te Anau, rescued trampers told amazing tales of surviving landslides and being trapped in huts as water levels rose.
But by the afternoon the focus had switched from the Fiordland National Park to Gore, which came close to being cut off as flooding impacted main roads.
Police and Gore District Council staff evacuated about 15 homes and businesses in Ontario St, near the Mataura River, as floodwaters continued to rise.
Southland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group chairman Neville Cook declared the state of emergency for the region following Monday’s declaration for Milford Sound, where 195 tourists remained trapped.
Rivers were continuing to rise, many roads were closed and landslips were occurring throughout the region after torrential rain had battered down for three days.
Gore District Council deputy chief executive Ian DavidsonWatts said flooding threatened some homes in Gore. Some properties were sandbagged, and floodwaters had entered several basements and garages.
The council was also keeping a close eye on the Otama Water Supply pipeline, which crosses the Mataura River.
A council spokeswoman said there were contingency plans in place should the line go.
The scheme supplies water to 200 rural properties.
Advance Agriculture staff took 600 seed bags from its Invercargill branch and to Allied Concrete in Gore to assist with making sandbags and would provide another 1000 if needed.
Flooding in Gore and west Otago forced 17 schools and two early childhood centres to close.
Gore District mayor Tracy Hicks said he had seen the Mataura River, which flows through the Gore and Mataura townships, higher than it was flowing yesterday but he had never seen so much floodwater lying around.
The flooding had ‘‘really started to show its head yesterday’’ and the council and fire service had begun pumping water away to protect buildings.
Precautionary measures were being taken to protect a hazardous substance stored in Mataura’s former paper mill, which is located right next to the Mataura River. About 10,000 tonnes of ouvea premix, a class six hazardous substance that gives off ammonia gas if it gets wet, is stored there.
Mataura resident Dave Mackenzie said he was nervous about the presence of the ouvea premix and what could happen if the river continued to rise.
‘‘Once it’s mixed with water it causes a gas eruption. This is the highest I’ve seen the river in the 12 years I’ve lived here.’’
However, Mataura Community Board chairman Alan Taylor said: ‘‘We have heard the company that is responsible for that is looking after that. The [Gore] District Council has been in touch with them to make sure they are doing their job and making things secure there.’’
Gore District Council chief executive Steve Parry asked Inalco, the company that was moving the premix from the building, to take precautions to protect it, in case floodwaters continued to rise. ‘‘We don’t think we have a major problem on our hands,’’ he said.
Yesterday afternoon the Mataura River at Gore was flowing at 2.7 metres above normal.
The council set up a welfare centre at the Calvin Church, in Robertson St, for anyone stranded in Gore or forced from their homes by floodwaters.
Gore resident David Byron said: ‘‘I’ve lived here for 20 years and this is definitely the worst it’s been; this is the fastest I’ve ever seen it [the river] rise . . . It’s the most water I’ve ever had in my backyard.
‘‘I think it’s going to get as bad as the [19]78 flood ... The way things are going we’re looking at a 100-year event.’’
Regional Ford salesman Robin South said he had not seen constant rain and flooding in Gore for a long time.
‘‘It’s been too much for the town’s drains ... The [nearby Mataura] river is definitely rising – by crikey, it is.’’
David Kirk was preparing for a long night keeping watch on his business, Advance Agriculture, which is about 200 metres from the rising Mataura River.
He spent yesterday afternoon moving 30 or 40 pallets of bagged seed to higher areas in the storeroom. ‘‘We’ve lifted stuff up just as a precaution,’’ Kirk said.
Australian tourists Sally and Daryl Rowley, who were heading
to Queenstown, were left stranded in Gore because of road closures.
‘‘We did the coastal trip up to Te Anau and then tried to get to Queenstown, but they kept detouring us. The last holiday we had was at Eagle Point in Australia, and we got kicked out of there because of bushfires.
‘‘Looking at the weather I don’t think we’ll be able to get to Queenstown tomorrow.’’
Farmers in the Gore District were urged to move stock to higher ground and to move baleage higher as well.