Key points
A State of Emergency remains in place for Dunedin and Clutha after heavy rainfall and flooding in the city.
SH1 south reopens but key highway links and dozens of local roads remain closed.
MetService has downgraded the weather warning to a heavy rain watch for Otago, Dunedin and coastal Clutha as much of the widespread heavy rain has cleared.
Restoration time for water services for the West Harbour and Otago Peninsula is unknown and residents need to continue conserving water.
Welfare centres are open at Forsyth Barr Stadium
People are asked to stay away from flood-hit areas unless checking on relatives or helping with any evacuation
Wastewater systems overflowing in Clutha, residents are urged to minimise water use.
Overnight slips have affected Otago Peninsula and West Harbour homes and roads and highways remain closed around Dunedin after two days of heavy rain and flooding.
In a Civil Defence Dunedin briefing this morning, mayor Jules Radich said clearing slips and reopening roads would be a key focus as the city entered into the cleanup phase.
"Day three, as we move into this, we welcome the weather. So the cessation of rain is a big help - and all of the roads I looked down this morning, on my way to here, were dry ... no surface flooding," Mr Radich said.
"Some of those roads will need to be checked and cleared before they will reopen so that will take some time, but it's great to have the rain stop and now us move into a cleanup phase, and restoring things back to normal - which might take some time."
State Highway 1 south, between Milton and Waihola, fully reopened this morning after flooding closed the main route. Caution is still advised as patches of surface flooding may remain.
As of late Friday night, water tanks could not be delivered there because of road blockages, although the city council says residents have reserves.
A fresh rockfall fell on to SH88 overnight, meaning the road will remain closed over the weekend with residential and emergency access only and fully staffed checkpoints.
Dunedin mayor Jules Radich told RNZ some roads were beginning to reopen this morning and the water level in parts of the city had already dropped by about 30cm.
Emergency Management Otago group manager Matt Alley said they were focused on restoring access to communities.
"We continue to assess the scale of support required to communities, agencies, contractors and lifelines organisations are currently working really hard to restore power, assess damage, and check on people, and restore roading," Mr Alley said.
"We're seeing significant areas of erosion, especially in Dunedin, which are making driving conditions hazardous and causing road closures."
The heavy rain watch for North Otago, Dunedin and Clutha is no longer in force but light showers may still fall throughout the day.
The army is supporting cordons around flooded parts of South Dunedin, and the council says if people have no reason to be in a particular area, they need to stay away.
Updates on major road closures:
- SH1 northbound is closed between Hampden and Evansdale. Road users are advised to avoid the area or delay their journey.
- State Highway 1 southbound between Waihola and Milton is now open, and from Milton south toward Balclutha.
- State Highway 8 between Lawrence and Milton has reopened.
- State Highway 88 from Forsyth Barr Stadium to Port Chalmers is closed.
- State Highway 85 between Kyeburn and Palmerston has reopened.
- State Highway 87 is closed between Kyeburn and Hyde.
- A detailed list of all Dunedin road closures can be found here.
“Despite the weather easing, the city has experienced several slips, including a large one on the West Harbour, and some that have affected houses,” Civil Defence Controller Sandy Graham said.
“Connectivity in, out and within the city is a priority as there are more than 40 road closures."
Waka Kotahi NZTA hopes to reopen SH1 north of Dunedin by 1pm this afternoon at the latest.
"There is 300 cubic metres of rock to move from a slip south of Waikouaiti with many smaller slips on the road shoulders so crews are hard at it," a spokesperson said.
It is not yet known when water services will be restored to the Otago Peninsula and West Harbour, and residents are urged to continue to conserve water.
“A huge thank you to those communities for their water conservation efforts so far. We ask them to please continue to conserve water for the time being,” she says.
More than 20 people stayed at the evacuation centre at Forsyth Barr Stadium last night, a welcome drop from about 80 the night before.
All council facilities will remain closed for the day, including libraries, pools, Toitū and Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden.
The New Zealand Army has also helped with staffing a series of cordons around South Dunedin in order to stop people driving through flood waters on closed roads.
Some residents of flood-hit South Dunedin streets were frustrated with people driving their four-wheel drives through the area, worsening damage to properties.
Graham Wolf lives on Bay View Road and he believes his street was one of the worst affected.
"[It was] almost chest height and people were roaring along in their four-wheel drives ... that was just inappropriate behaviour, that's the thing that annoyed me the most of all and just checking on my neighbours every two hours."
If residents are in need of help, they are encouraged to phone the DCC on 03 477 4000.
Clutha
Many smaller communities in the Clutha district remain cut off or without electricity, including Toko Mouth, which has been without power since yesterday.
Wastewater treatment plants throughout Clutha are overflowing and there are reports of human waste in floodwaters near treatment plants.
A Clutha District Council spokeswoman said residents should assume all floodwaters are contaminated with sewage and chemicals and to avoid contact with floodwater whenever possible.
Contractors are out on the roads checking conditions and the council's welfare team is working to make contact to these communities.
Teams are working to clear roads to make communities accessible again.
Some commercial properties in Frances St, High St and James St in Balclutha have flooded and the council is working to pump water from the area.
Council inspectors will check on the properties once floodwaters have receded.
Free food delivered
Pizza Hut stores in Dunedin are among the food outlets delivering free food to people hit by flooding.
“We have provided more than 100 pizzas to 30 families who were affected by flood and also essential workers," manager Gagandeep Singh said.
"Seeing the smiles on people's faces when they received a hot meal, knowing they've been struggling to access basic necessities, was truly heartwarming.
"It reminded me of the power of community and the impact we can make when we come together.
"We are so proud of our team for their selfless efforts in preparing and distributing the meals."
