Westland flooding
• State Highway 6 from Ross to Haast is closed
• Stay off the roads and away from flooded areas if possible
• If life is in danger call 111
• Have your go bag ready in case you need to evacuate. Don’t forget your medications and pets.
• Be prepared in case there are power cuts
• If you require emergency accommodation (ie you have nowhere to stay tonight) please contact Emergency Management (03) 769 9323
A local state of emergency has been declared in Westland District due to heavy rain, closing part of SH6, the West Coast's major highway.
The rain has been pummelling the region, including the Grey and Buller districts, and orange level rain warnings are in place for Westland on Saturday.
About 350mm of rain had fallen across the coast in the 24 hours to 7am today. Franz Josef experienced its wettest 24 hours in 45 years, RNZ reported.
Mayor Helen Lash declared a state of emergency for most of South Westland at 9.42am today.
Flooding has pushed through houses near Haast this morning and there are concerns regarding an existing slip side at Epitaph Cutting - which has now closed SH6.
There were floodwaters in homes at Haast, with Hannahs Clearing badly hit. Video showed people kayaking down the street.
The New Zealand Transport Agency/ Waka Kotahi said this morning there had been movement at Epitaph near Knights Point, which first slipped in 2016.
It needed to get Geotech experts on site, which would hopefully happen on Saturday afternoon.
However, it expected the highway to remain closed all weekend, though other slips and falls elsewhere on SH6 would be cleared.
“Our crews will continue to clean up the fallen trees and slips around Bruce Bay, the glacier towns and south of Ross, but the Knights Point cracks are of more concern,” Mark Pinner, system manager for NZTA in the central South Island, said in a statement.
“We will have a surveyor on site this afternoon and more geotechnical inspections by chopper on Sunday morning to assess the area at Knights Point. SH6 through Knights Point area will remain closed for the weekend, with the next update for the route between Fox Glacier and Haast at 10am Monday."
There was no detour route for SH6 at Knights Point. People wanting to get to Greymouth or Hokitika would need to come via Arthur’s Pass (SH73) or the Lewis Pass (SH7) from the east coast for the time being, or delay their journeys.
SH6 from Ross south to Fox Glacier is closed. Fox Glacier south to Haast is closed, likely through until Monday morning.
At Haast, Kerry Eggeling said quite a few houses had water in them, at Nolans Rd. He also had reports of "some guys in a hut up a side road in their waders standing on a table".
Eggeling emptied his rain gauge at 6.30pm yesterday, which was overflowing by 6.30am today. In 12 hours, they had 170mm to 180mm of rain.
The rivers were quite high and although the rain had eased, the rivers were still rising at 9am, several hours after high tide.
"We think the Okuru bridge might dam the water up a bit," he said.
He had seen video of the Epitaph slip which showed the road had dropped and there was a great big crack.
"The hill detour has filled with a slip. That road will he closed for days - if not weeks."
At Jackson Bay Rd, Eggeling said he had seen a picture of a slip with gravel halfway up power pole.
State Highway 6 was closed from Fox to Makaroro due to slips and flooding.
At Hari Hari, Wanganui Flat Rd gardens went under. Robertson Rd also flooded.
By 9am today, Greymouth had received just under 30mm of rain in 24 hours.
Haast though, had received almost 500mm at Roaring Billy, Hari Hari 249mm, Hokitika 49mm, and Franz Josef 419mm. Whataroa also got an impressive 300mm.
There were reports on social media of water in houses at Hannahs Clearing.
The Haast to Jackson Bay Rd was also unpassable.
Despite the deluge, Hari Hari fire chief John McIntosh, said there were "no problems that I know".
At Franz Josef for Civil Defence, Wayne Costello all was okay although there had been a lot of rain."The stopbanks are looking pretty good."
The Waiho (Wauia) River went through its first stage alarm about 4am, but there were two regional council engineers on site and they were pretty happy. It was expected to ease by midday, he said.
Mr Costello urged people to stay off the roads until later today.
Gerry McSweeney reported a slip at Lake Moeraki and a substantial one at Venture Creek.In the Grey district, heavy rain is forecast through to 9pm on Saturday.
West Coast Emergency Management said the state of emergency declaration "provides for Controllers to direct and coordinate personnel, material and other resources made available and provides access to extraordinary powers to deliver an effective and timely response to an emergency.
"Members of the public are reminded to prepare getaway bags in preparation for potential evacuations. If anyone is feeling unsafe, please self-evacuate to friends or family on higher ground or call 111."
Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell is in the West Coast today to assess the current situation and to support local response efforts.
Earlier, he urged residents to stay off the roads as heavy rain continued to fall.Emergency Management officials and the community were well prepared - but they need to stay vigilant and keep off the roads if they can.
MetService advised this morning the situation was improving, with the front moving north today and the rain clearing the West Coast through this afternoon and evening.
- additional reporting ODT Online
