- States of emergency have been declared in Dunedin and the Clutha District
- Most highway access into Dunedin will remain closed overnight
- Scores of roads affected in Clutha District
- MetService has downgraded its red rain warning to a yellow watch
- Toko Mouth has been cut off
- Evacuation centres are open in Dunedin city, Waikouaiti and Milton
One main highway heading to Dunedin has reopened this evening after it was announced earlier that road access to the city would remain cut off overnight.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advised about 8.30pm that State Highway 1 had reopened between Milton and Waihola.
Earlier NZTA said that section was one of several that would remain closed overnight owing to flooding resulting from the rain that has lashed eastern Otago the past two days.
In the most recent advisory, NZTA said the Milton-Waihola section had reopened, but the area south of Milton beyond the SH8 intersection to Allison Rd/ Moneymore was now closed.
"These conditions are changeable given the water flowing downstream and affecting different areas of highway overnight.
"People should not drive through deep water, particularly in the dark, stay home tonight."
This comes after a state of emergency was declared for the Clutha District today after one was declared for Dunedin last night.
The ongoing rain has caused slips and damage to many other roads and there is a raft of closures on minor roads in the South, and motorists are urged not to venture out unless necessary.
The highways into Dunedin that will remain closed overnight are:
- SH1 northbound closed from Evansdale to Hampden
- SH88 closed to Port Chalmers
- SH85 closed from Palmerston to Kyeburn
- SH87 closed from Kyeburn to Hyde
An NZTA spokeswoman said elsewhere in Otago and Southland, people could expect to see slips near highways, debris washed up in places with flooding and surface water.
She said speeds would be reduced in many places, and there may be lane closures on Dunedin’s Southern Motorway from Lookout Point to Green Island due to surface flooding.
NZTA advised about 7.50pm that SH8 was closed between Lawrence and Milton.
Emergency Management Otago Group Controller Matt Alley this evening said slips and damage to roads would hamper recovery efforts and the State Highway 1 closures would be reassessed with NZTA "first thing in the morning".
Rivers
Alley said the Clutha River was forecast to reach 2000 cumecs, potentially between 2am-8am, but it could rise to 2300-2500 cumecs, which could be problematic downstream at Inch Clutha near the river mouth. The Taieri River at Outram is expected to reach 1000-1100 cumecs overnight.
“People who live near rivers should be aware stay informed overnight. If anyone’s property is affected by flooding, don’t wait to be told to leave and self-evacuate if you have safety concerns.”
He said people should also be aware there had been ongoing power and communications outages in some parts of Otago during the day, and other areas could be affected later tonight.
Earlier today, MetService extended a red heavy rain warning for North Otago, Dunedin and coastal Clutha until 11pm, but about 8pm downgraded it to a yellow heavy rain watch.
The forecaster this afternoon said another 40 to 60mm of rain, on top of what already has fallen, was expected today.
In an update this evening the Clutha District Council said more than 60 of its roads were closed or affected by surface flooding.
"We strongly urge people to go home and stay home overnight.
"If you have any concerns about flooding around your house, pack a bag for you and your family and if you feel unsafe leave."
Clutha District Mayor Bryan Cadogan late this afternoon said the severe weather flooding was "unlike anything he'd ever seen".
Cadogan said the storm, which has been raging for almost two full days, was difficult to predict.
He said storms typically approached from the west, over the Southern Alps, but this one was "moving in reverse".
Talking to RNZ this evening, Dunedin Civil Defence controller Chris Henderson said they were "still in the middle of this significant weather event, with upwards on 160mm falling in the past 48 hours or so".
Dunedin was "completely soaked" and drainage was at maximum capacity and had been for a while, he said.
Henderson said no one had been specifically ordered out of their homes but some people had chosen to evacuate.
At the evacuation centre at Forsyth Barr Stadium, there were 27 people, five cats and one dog.
Henderson said slips on both sides of Otago Harbour had taken out mains that supplied water to communities down the harbour.
The slip on the western side was "significant" and planning was under way for a repair, which would take "some time".
With up to 60mm of rain still to come, Henderson said South Dunedin remained an area of concern.
It was a "moving feast" that was expected to last until 11pm, with potentially heavy falls about 7pm.
Henderson said officials were keeping an eye on everything and urged people to evacuate while it was still daylight if they felt unsafe or at risk.
He also asked that people who were not involved in recovery operations/checking on people to stay homes.
They did not want people driving through floodwaters as it pushed water further into homes and was the last thing they needed.
The Dunedin City Council said this afternoon the East Otago emergency hub was now open at the East Otago Events Centre.
Emergency Management Otago group controller Matt Alley this afternoon said in several areas the amount of rain was further compounded by its washing snow-melt across already sodden paddocks and into already swollen rivers.
“This is a very unpredictable element for forecasters.”
He said there had been reports from residents in several flooded areas that the wash from sightseers’ car was causing problems.
“People should not be unnecessarily driving around, especially if this causes damage to other peoples’ properties. Car wakes can flood into already damaged properties and houses.”
Elsewhere in the South, flooding has closed bridges due to swollen rivers and is threatening the small settlement of Toko Mouth in South Otago.
NZTA is urging drivers to stay off the roads while the weather event continues to bring more rain.
A spokeswoman said they were particularly concerned about people driving through already closed-off roads.
"If you cannot see the road beneath you, then you shouldn't be driving on it.
"There could be potholes beneath you which you cannot see. This could lead to damage to your vehicle, and further damage to the road."
NZTA staff were working around the clock to clean up damage as roads became inundated over the past few hours, she said.
Bus rescue
Emergency services this afternoon assisted 13 passengers on a bus caught in flooding on a closed highway.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) and police were alerted to the bus on State Highway 1 between Waihola and Milton at 3.18pm.
The stretch of highway has been closed since this morning.
A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said firefighters from Milton and Waihola attended and assisted those on the bus to safety.
No one was injured.
State of emergency in Clutha
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan said the council decided to declare a state of emergency because the district's services and infrastructure were being overwhelmed.
"It's got to the point where the catchments are absolutely chocka-block right across the district but the main trigger point was that we had to close State Highway 1 just after lunchtime.
More than two dozen roads around the Clutha district are closed and even more are affected by flooding and slips, the mayor said says he expected more surface flooding and road closures to come.
A community-led evacuation centre has been set up at Mt Zion Church on the main street in Milton (next door to the Milton Community Library).
Cadogan earlier told RNZ sandbags had been delivered to the Milton Community Library for people to collect. For sandbags at King Engineering in Balclutha, however, people will need to bring a shovel.
The Tokomairaro River, which can subside as quickly as it rises, passed its second flood warning this afternoon.
Latest Otago Regional Council data shows it is now flowing at over 70 cubic metres of water per second - above the second flood alert of 59 cumecs - and well over the median flow of less than half a cubic metre per second.
Mr Cadogan said State Highway 1 was closed north of Milton due to flooding of the river, though it was typically houses at the southern end of the town which were impacted.
"There'll be a lot of people now needing some help, some assistance with accommodation probably. So we really stress that if you don't need to be out there, then please stay at home.
"The last thing we need when the services are stretched is to have rubberneckers having to get bailed out or getting stuck for no good reason."
- For a full list of roads affected by flooding go to the Clutha District Council's Facebook page
Many roads in the district are now closed or seriously affected on Friday due to the heavy rain and surface flooding, as well as slips, a spokeswoman for the Clutha District Council said.
She said it wasn't possible for contractors to get signage on to all roads affected, and people should stay home if possible.
"Due to the nature of this event and how widespread it is we are unable to sign out every patch of surface flooding. Our contractors are focusing on the the most dangerous areas.
"Where possible, we advise that people should stay home and not drive around taking photos. If you see a road closed sign please don’t drive past it as we don’t want people risking their own safety."
The Nuggets Rd is closed due to a slip. Other roads affected are: Owaka Highway by Romahapa, Puaho Rd, Finlayson Rd, Akatore Rd, Moturata Rd, Summer Hill Rd, Finalyson Rd, Waihola Moturata Rd, Taieri Beach, Papatowai Highway, Tarara and Tautuku Beach.
Water wastewater teams were busy monitoring and addressing any issues affected by the heavy rainfall. "Many of our wastewater pump stations have had overflows. We advise people to stay out of floodwaters and treat as there is a chance that the water is contaminated."
Toko Mouth cut off
The small South Otago coastal settlement of Toko Mouth is cut off, without power and waterlogged on Friday.
The settlement has mostly holiday homes, however, there is a small community of permanent residents.
Resident Basil Vlachakis contacted the Otago Daily Times this morning to say that he, along with his wife and daughter live in Toko Mouth Rd, about 2km from Milton, were "completely surrounded by water" and the power's been off since 2am.
"Powernet told me this morning that their engineers can't get to the power sub unit to turn the power on as it's completely flooded, so can't give me a time when power will be back on."
Another resident, Glenda Wallace, told RNZ said the two roads into the township were impassable.
"The road that runs along the Tokomairaro River is flooded and it's flooded right up to Tokoiti. That's been impassable since yesterday.
"The coast road that goes to Kaitangata is higher and it's got flooding and a lot of damage. It probably took me an hour to come through there - about 18 kilometres - last night and now it's impassable."
While the community was without power and cut off from the rest of the Clutha district, its residents were rallying around each other, she said.
"Those houses that run along the river have got water up to the houses - the creek is running high and fast," Wallace said.
"But we live in a beautiful community. Everybody is checking in on each other, everyone is doing what they can to help."
A farmer had been out on his tractor and other residents in four-wheel drives to check on the rest of the community, she said.
They had not heard from Civil Defence, but now it was a matter of hunkering down until the roads could be reopened.
Another resident and farmer Simon Davies told RNZ there was significant flooding and the settlement has been cut off by road. Paddocks are flooded so he hoped stock got to higher ground.
Southland
Rain was forecast to continue in Southland for much of today and a watch for heavy rain is in force for the region, MetService said.
It was decided to close the Otautau Bridge in Southland as a precautionary measure from 8am and it could remain shut for 24 hours.
A spokeswoman for the Southland District Council said the river was expected to peak tonight and was likely to be at a similar level to September last year. Further rain was forecast for the day.
"Closing the bridge will mean community members won’t be able to travel over the bridge on Main Stt in Otautau in either direction.
"As river is expected to peak overnight this might mean the bridge may be closed for around 24 hours. It’s a precautionary decision, to ensure the community’s safety."
Evacuations of Otautau residents were not expected. However, the community should be prepared to stay put should further flooding affect more roads around the township.
Other roads in the area have been affected by surface flooding. "Please take extra care if travelling over the next few days and avoid driving through flooded roads."
Meanwhile, the Pyramid Bridge is also closed on the Southland district side (Riversdale-Pyramid Bridge Rd). Taramoa-West Plains Rd is closed.
Piano Flat Rd is closed at the Waikaia township turnoff.
Calder Rd and Forbes Road intersection, Lochiel, is flooded with signs up.
Central Otago
The Central Otago District Council this evening said rain was continuing to fall across the district, with the Māniatoto and Manuherekia areas "heavily affected".
River levels and creeks in these areas were beyond capacity and there was significant flooding in many places.
"Please stay off the roads in these areas, if you do need to travel, please expect to encounter flood waters, reduce your speeds, and enter at a crawl speed."
Sandbags were available for Ranfurly residents at the Hazlett/Fulton Hogan Yard. "You will need to fill your own – bring your own shovel."
- For a list of roads affected by flooding, go to the Central Otago District Council Facebook page
At 9.3am today, MetService said the slow moving front was expected to bring further heavy rain to the southeast of the South Island - highlighting Otago.
The duration and the amounts were very unusual and major impacts were being felt in North Otago, Dunedin and coastal Clutha. A red warning remained in force for those areas but the rain was expected to ease late tonight.
Mr Alley said ORC flood and drainage infrastructure across the Taieri was working well.
Flood and drainage infrastructure in the Lower Clutha was also working well but there was severe surface flooding from the rainfall.
Even for farmers who have moved stock already, Mr Alley suggested they assess their circumstances and whether stock should again be moved to higher ground - but only if safe to do so.
People can keep updated on this changing situation through Emergency Management Otago Facebook page and website, and websites and Facebook of NZ Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi, and local district and city councils.
“Unless absolutely necessary, please avoid travel in the region as many parts of Otago are still being affected by this event. Rain is predicted to continue through to this evening.
“There’s several sign-posted road closures and people should not try to go any further. More roads will likely be closed as rivers and streams rise or water run-off pools around roads. We don’t want anyone caught out by this."
- ODT Online/additional reporting RNZ
