Flash flooding hits

Flash flooding north of Wellington yesterday has left up to 15 homes uninhabitable, affected a further 50, and closed State Highway 1 for about two hours.

A welfare point had been set up at the Plimmerton Fire Station and help was available if people needed accommodation, Porirua mayor Anita Baker said. There was a shortage of accommodation so people should stay with friends and family if possible.

Emergency services were busy pumping floodwaters from homes and, further south, at Titahi Bay, treated sewage was flowing into the bay because of an overflow, she said.

Plimmerton chief fire officer Carl Mills, who was at the scene, said ‘‘over 15 homes have had water through their living areas and damaged their property making it uninhabitable’’.

‘‘[It is] quite a major event, and something that we could not prevent,’’ Mills said.

The scope of the flooding appeared to take even the firefighters by surprise.

‘‘We have never had flooding, in my 25 years here, that has hit the living heights of houses, that is a bit unexpected,’’ Mills said.

Airlie Rd resident Ian Capewell had lived in the area for more than 50 years and was a volunteer firefighter for 30 of them. He had never seen flooding so high in Plimmerton. He was out of town yesterday morning when he got a call from his daughter: ‘‘She said: you better come home, the water is about to come in the house.’’

By the time he got home, about midday, the sun was out but water had been through every room.