Evacuations ordered as heavy rain lashes top of South Island
Hydrology teams have been working through the night to monitor Marlborough's Wairau River, because of fears a small town could be flooded.
A state of emergency is in place for the area around the town of Spring Creek, and people in about 60 homes must evacuate by 9am today.
Emergency management controller Richard MacNamara told Morning Report a floodbank damaged by the Kaikōura earthquake may not hold as the river's level rises in heavy rain.
But he said the latest modelling from the MetService from around 11pm last night was showing a lessening of the rainfall, which meant the flow in the river would be less.
"Currently our own hydrologist are talking around 3000 cumecs, the biggest flood we've had here in recent years has been around 6000," he said.
"But the hydrologists are concerned if we get anything over 4000 and rising then that stopbank beside the township of Spring Creek will come under threat."
At this stage the evacuations are still going ahead, but further decisions will be made once it's daylight and the latest information becomes available from MetService and hydrologists, he said.
Emergency management has people on the ground at the moment to ensure that the 60 households which are under a compulsory evacuation order are moving, he said.
"We've got the support of our local iwi with the marae being opened up, we've got support from Base Woodbourne, NZDF have been fantastic in having some support crews having unimogs etc available if we need them."
But at this stage the Wairau River bank was still holding, he said.
"It's starting to suggest that we may not reach those threatening levels - which is a good thing."
The peak problem was likely to be somewhere between midday and mid-afternoon, he said.
There is surface flooding in town and in the urban districts, as well as on State Highway 63 and various feeder roads coming into Blenheim, he said.
The damage to the stopbanks occurred during the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, but it didn't come to light until floods in 2021, he said.
"The council has secured funding with the government to secure funding for that."
In the meantime the left bank of the river has been opened up to allow flood waters to flow out, but it still leaves townships on the right bank vulnerable, he said.
"It's a big job with over 1km of stopbank and they've got to dig it all the way out, so they need the right conditions, they need the right gear, they need sufficient funding to do that job. That's all in place, but in the meantime we still have to deal with this constant threat to that community."
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RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Weather live: Severe weather lashes parts of North Island, flooding, state of emergency in South Island regions
Marlborough Emergency Management has issued a 'be ready to evacuate' warning for residents in the Lower Terrace area in Renwick. The council's hydrology team had been modelling on a stopbank at the confluence of the Waihopai/Wairau rivers and determined the bank had become unstable, Incident Controller Richard MacNamara said. This poses a risk of breaking and flooding lower parts of Renwick township (Lower Terrace) and surrounding land adjacent to Gibson's Creek and up to the Waihopai/Wairau confluence. "We are taking the precaution of advising residents of Lower Terrace to be prepared to evacuate," MacNamara said, adding that the Defence Force, FENZ and Marlborough's Rapid Response team would be door knocking in the area. Meanwhile, a "significant number" of people in Nelson have chosen to evacuate, according to Nelson Tasman Civil Defence. "While we did assist some people from their homes there have been a significant number of people who have felt uncomfortable enough that they've self-evacuated," information manager Paul Shattock said. Smaller rivers were a major area of concern. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Photo: Kate Green
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
State of emergency continues in part of South Island
By Samantha Gee of RNZ Some residents in Spring Creek, north of Blenheim, were told to evacuate their homes by 9am Friday as heavy rain threatens the Marlborough region. Emergency services are taking a precautionary approach due to the risk posed by cracks in stopbanks protecting the township from the Wairau River. Mayor Nadine Taylor declared a local state of emergency for part of Marlborough at 5pm on Thursday, to facilitate the precautionary evacuation of Spring Creek and in case of any other flooding issues. Affected properties include those on Dodson, Hathaway and March streets, and part of Ferry Road. An Orange Heavy Rain Warning for Marlborough has been in place since 9am Wednesday and runs until 6pm Friday. Up to 150 to 250mm of rain is forecast, with peak rates of 20 to 30mm/h or more expected late Thursday, especially in the ranges. Marlborough Emergency Management Controller Richard MacNamara said the system could stall and bring further rainfall on Friday. "With the Wairau River stop bank at Spring Creek in a compromised state, we are taking the precaution of advising residents of Spring Creek township to plan to evacuate their homes from 6am Friday, tomorrow morning," MacNamara said. "They can leave this evening if they wish but the key time when the river may be running high is from early tomorrow morning." Residents were asked to stay with family or friends - have a grab bag ready and take pets and prescription medications with them. He said all of Marlborough's emergency and lifelines agencies and response teams were ready to go. Further updates will be provided, primarily through Marlborough District Council's Facebook page and the Antenno alerting app. A $8.7 million programme to repair the stopbanks was agreed with the community last May, which includes $3.6m government funding. The stopbank experienced lateral spread during the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, which was masked by road seal on Peninsula Road, which runs along the top of the stopbank. In July 2021, flooding in the Wairau River further weakened it and emphasised the need for an upgrade to provide one in a 100-year flood protection. The council is working on the final design for the repairs and plan to release it in August. The groundwork will commence in November, with rock and materials stockpiled near the site, temporary infrastructure built, and other preparations made, with construction to begin in November 2026. Meanwhile, other areas across the South Island continue to be lashed by severe weather. The Tasman District Council is expecting rivers across the region to be running at high levels, warning residents to prepare for flooding. Heavy rain, thunderstorms, gales and possible flooding is forecast for much of the South Island. The Tasman District council said uncertainty about the forecast and possible thunderstorms meant people should plan for flooding. Council hydrologists said 75 to 140mm of rain had already fallen in the Tasman ranges in the last 12 hours. The Tākaka River and its tributaries and the Aorere River had peaked or were about to peak, all below annual flood flows. High tide coincided with the Aorere River's peak flow, so people could expect road and surface flooding in Ferntown. Another 200 to 300mm of rain was expected in Golden Bay over the next 26 hours, along with possible thunderstorms and localised flooding. River's in the region's east including the Wakapuaka, Maitai, Wairoa/Waimea and upper Motueka were also expected to reach annual flood flows. Between 15 to 45mm of rain had already been recorded across the eastern ranges, with a further 150 to 250mm expected. The council said there was a good chance the wet weather could cause slips, particularly on State Highway 60 over the Tākaka Hill and State Highway 6 between Nelson and Marlborough. MetService severe weather warnings cover most parts of the island, with orange rain warnings starting in the early hours of Thursday for the Tasman District northwest of Motueka, Buller, Nelson and Marlborough, excluding the Sounds. Haast Pass is closed between Haast and Makarora because of a slip. MetService meterologist Heather Keats said there was "pretty decent rainfall and strong winds come through the South Island overnight as expected". Canterbury High Country experienced "massive" 250km/h wind gusts. "But that's a very elevated site that's quite exposed." Other sites saw 90km/h gusts while some areas also had 10mm to 20mm of rain hourly. "At the moment everything's playing out as we expected as that really active front does start to track over the South Island." Environment Canterbury issued a riverbed alert for five alpine rivers in the region after heavy rain overnight. The regional council said flows were increasing in upper parts of the Rangitata, Rakaia, Waimakariri, Hurunui and Waiau-uha rivers. The focus would then shift to central New Zealand with strong wind watches in place for Wellington and rain watches for Taranaki from tomorrow. It would continue north to affect the whole of the North Island, Keats said. The active rain band affecting the West Coast was expected to stall over the Tasman/Nelson area and then affect Wellington and Taranaki. Wellington region has been upgraded to orange wind warning. MetService said Mount Kaukau recorded wind speeds of up to 130km while winds around the Wellington Airport and Kelburn were closer to the hundred mark. Wellington and Porirua councils said they were unaware of the wind causing any damage - Fire and Emergency were also yet to receive any callouts. Flights and the Cook Strait ferries are also still running. With the Wairau River closely watched, an update is expected by Thursday afternoon for Spring Creek residents once the latest forecasts are reviewed. The weather system had the potential to stall, delivering additional rainfall on Friday, leading to a more significant weather event, the council and Marlborough Emergency Management said in a statement on Wednesday. An update would be issued by the middle of Thursday afternoon for Spring Creek township residents on the potential impact on the Wairau River, once the latest forecasts had been assessed, the council said. Heavy rain warnings in place for the headwaters of the Canterbury and Otago lakes and rivers, the ranges of the Westland district and Fiordland north of Doubtful Sound have been lifted. Intense rain led to flash flooding in Nelson last month, which saw mayor Nick Smith renew his call for a rain radar. With school holidays looming, Keats said: "Sunday looks amazing" while ski fields would benefit from fresh snowfalls over the next few days.
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
Weather: Marlborough evacuees irked by lack of flood protection action
By Kira Carrington , Local Democracy Reporter The entrance to Spring Creek School was under water. Photo: LDR/Kira Carrington A Spring Creek couple evacuated from their home due to Friday's flooding say they're "pissed off" with the Marlborough District Council's lack of action around flood protection work. Residents from certain Spring Creek streets were asked to evacuate on Friday morning as a precaution, as the Marlborough region was battered by rain overnight Thursday . There was 245mm received at Rai Falls and other areas around the district receiving more than 100mm. On Friday morning, Marlborough Emergency Management controller Richard MacNamara said there was uncertainty around how long the heavy rain would last. "The modelling shows some lessening of impact but with the stop bank in Spring Creek being compromised we will be proceeding with plans for people in the affected streets to be evacuated by 9am," MacNamara said in a council-issued statement. "It's not only the level of flood waters we are considering but the unseen damage within that stop bank. We have to make proactive decisions - it's about caring for our community and preventing possible harm." The affected properties were in Dodson, Hathaway, and March streets, as well as the section of Ferry Rd from the intersection with March St towards the river as well as residential properties on Gouland Road north of March St. Hathaway St resident Susan Robertson said she was "thoroughly pissed off with the council". "How many years have they known about this?," she said of the stopbank issue. The Spring Creek stopbank experienced lateral spread in the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake and was further damaged in the July 2021 Wairau flood. In January 2023, the repair project was reprioritised and funding was secured through the Long-Term Plan process. A $8.7M construction programme was agreed with the community in May 2024, with groundwork expected to start in November this year before construction was carried out in November 2026, MDC said. But this was too long a wait, Robertson said. "It's not good enough. If a councillor lived down here, the mayor lived out here, it would be done. "They don't give us stuff. All they care about is beautifying Picton and central Blenheim. That's all they care about. They don't give a stuff about us." Marlborough Emergency Management began door knocking at affected properties in Spring Creek on Thursday night and continued that work on Friday morning. There was also a police and NZ Army presence in the township on Friday, as a number of streets were under water and the Wairau River was in flood. A Civil Defence Centre providing community support and information was opened at Stadium 2000 in Blenheim from 9am and hot drinks and kai were being offered at Tuamātene Marae. Ready to help at the stadium, from left, public health medicine specialist Dr Kat McHale, health protection officer Frances Knight, and public health co-ordinator Paula Kole. Photo: LDR Councillor Gerald Hope was heading down to the stadium on Friday morning. The council was moving as fast as it could on stopbank repairs, he said. "It's not as simple as moving tons of rocks in. "We've had good turnout at town meetings, people have asked questions. We've been straight up with residents about what's going on. "Our civil defence group is one of the best in the country." Staff from Nelson Marlborough's Public Health Service were also at the stadium to support Civil Defence staff. Public health co-ordinator Paula Kole said there was plenty of coffee and tea available for evacuees. "We have an animal welfare station, first aid, an area for the children, and over there [behind screens] is for needs-based assessment." A council spokesperson said in the past, Spring Creek residents tended to evacuate to the homes of friends and family, so they were not expecting large numbers of people, and the evacuation centre was "just in case". In its statement, the council asked those evacuating to take their pets with them, ideally in carry cages and or on leads to a safe place. Defence Force personnel in Spring Creek. Photo: LDR/Kira Carrington Meanwhile, the heavy rain has seen considerable surface flooding throughout the region - including State Highway 6 at Havelock, State Highway 63 in the Wairau Valley, and State Highway 1 near Koromiko, the council said. Road users were advised to avoid travel if possible but they need to drive do so with caution and to the conditions. SH63 was closed from Anglesea St through to St Arnaud due to multiple areas of flooding. There is flooding on SH1 near Para Rd. There has been a truck crash on SH1 near Ward, the road is down to one lane. There are trees down on Queen Charlotte Drive between Ngakuta and Governors Bay and the road is down to one lane, the council said. Marlborough Roads crew were out across the network inspecting flood areas this morning. Drivers were advised to prepare for road hazards and the possibility of road closures. With stormwater systems running at capacity, the council also advised people not to go near any flood waters in the region due to risk of contamination. People should also stay off stop banks in the area, particularly in vehicles, as this can compromise their effectiveness, the council said. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
