Clutha District emergency management controller Stan Leishman said yesterday’s sun was "wonderful to see".
With the state highway back open between Balclutha and Dunedin yesterday, and parts of Clutha no longer isolated with roads reopened or detours provided, there was no need to continue with the state of emergency.
It was a big weekend and a lot of areas were impacted, he said.
There were some isolated communities including farmers and businesses that were significantly affected and the district council would work with them to support them through the recovery phase.
He expressed his thanks to community volunteers, staff and other organisations throughout the district who worked together day and night to help each other out in the emergency.
The emergency operations centre would remain open on a reduced capacity to continue to support recovery.
In Balclutha, several business on Frances St were significantly affected, and would need help getting back to normal.
"It was an unprecedented time, but the community showed patience and for the most part, people stayed inside and waited out the rain."
Clutha district mayor Bryan Cadogan said he thought the district, overall, was lucky to have missed the brunt of the weather.
"We definitely got our share, but when you look at the inundation levels, we weren’t getting what our neighbours in Dunedin were getting."
This was the first time he had seen the weather coming in from the east.
"We always get it from the west. We usually get the lakes filling up and the rivers filling up, and we tend to have a lot of time normally to prepare.
"It was totally different this time, it was like turning the map upside down to work out what was going to happen.
"It brought about its own challenges, but overall I think that Clutha, while we had our moments, missed the brunt and should be thankful."
More than 60 roads were closed in the Clutha area during the flooding. Thirteen remained closed late yesterday.
Wastewater treatment plants were overflowing on Saturday due to the flooding and teams were monitoring them.
Stirling and Tapanui had boil water notices in place and consumers on the Glenkenich Rural Water Scheme including the Waikaka township had been advised there could be disruption to their water supply.
"So many of our plants are near rivers so consequently, as fast as the water came up, the treatments plants were inundated, but then the water started going down, so they became less of an issue", Mr Cadogan said
Emergency Management Otago, group controller Matt Alley acknowledged the huge amount of work ahead for many households, farmers and businesses.
People’s welfare and wellbeing were now paramount in communities across the region as the damage became apparent, he said.
People should not just "soldier on" but talk with friends, families or colleagues, or contact the agencies who specialised in offering help.
"Be it rural or urban, we don’t want people feeling they’re on their own", he said.
He emphasised anxiety is a normal response to a stressful situation and talking about it could be useful.
Agencies were continuing to meet regularly to ensure the right support was provided for those with ongoing impact from flooding.
"There is a strong rural network that has good connections with farmers and rural communities", he said.
Toko Mouth was no longer isolated after access via Wangaloa Rd was restored, a Clutha District Council spokeswoman said.
Council contractors were assessing the roads and welfare staff had been in regular contact with residents.
Powernet delivered two large generators, which provided power to 50% of the township.
Other residents were using the community hall if they needed power.
