Latest news with #LighthouseRoad
CTV News
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Road closure in Essex County
OPP are reporting a road closure thanks to some downed power lines. Lighthouse Road/Rd 39 is closed in both directions between Tecumseh Road/County Rd 2 and Lakeshore Road 301. Crews are on scene and people are being asked to avoid the area.
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Akaroa residents still waiting to return home after storm
The State of Emergency in Canterbury's storm-hit Banks Peninsula has finally been lifted. But almost two weeks after severe rain lashed the region, causing flooding and slips, some Akaroa residents are still waiting to return home. Alan Hemsley had been living in rental accommodation since he was evacuated from his home on Aylmers Valley Road ten days ago. Alan Hemsley, who was evacuated from his home on Alymers Valley Road. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon He said the slip, which sat above his property on the nearby Lighthouse Road, was significant. "There's probably over one thousand cubic metres in volume, it's destabilised, and obviously there's a sliding zone which creates instability, but that material will basically slide down onto the Lighthouse Road. It really needs to be removed, " he said. Heavy rain and flooding caused several slips along Banks Peninsula. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Hemsley's property was one of four that were evacuated by the council as a precaution. He wanted the council to urgently fix the slip so people could return home. "There's nothing like being in your own bed at night, and being on your own property, you can get quality sleep, and it's just peace of mind to be fair, it's easier on everyone," he said. Lighthouse Road has been closed due to Banks Peninsula slips. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon "It'd be nice to see a big digger and a few big trucks up there just to take the pressure off the top of that slip and some subsurface drainage as soon as possible." The council said the storm caused 29 slips in total across the Christchurch district, with the vast majority in Banks Peninsula. Hemsley worked as an excavation contractor on the peninsula and had been flat-out helping with the clean-up. "There's still a list of jobs to do, so we'll get to everyone as soon as we can, but peninsula people are very resilient, it's a wonderful community, we look after each other," he said. Penguin tour business Pōhatu Penguins had been forced to temporarily close because Lighthouse Road, the only road up to its Flea Bay colony, was impassable. General manager Kevin Parthonnaud said they had to refund a number of bookings. Kevin Parthonnaud, Pōhatu Penguins general manager. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon "Over winter, we're getting probably 30 to 40 people maybe a day, so that's two to three tours sometimes a day we've had to cancel," he said. He said another worry was that the business directly funded the conservation work they did with the penguins. "When there's no tourism, the income is not coming in either, it's always a matter of kind of thinking of that," he said. "We're confident that it's going to come back to normal soon." Charlotte Oborne lives on a farm near the Lighthouse Road slip, and said her teenage daughter was having to walk 45 minutes to school because their home was cut off. She said her family was tired of the restrictions on getting around. "A little bit like going back into Covid, as in it's just really quiet and it just means if we're going to go out we just have to plan a bit ahead and check the weather a bit more or whatever to make sure it's all right when we come back in." Oborne said access to Akaroa via a back road meant a journey of about an hour each way. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
07-05-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Banks Peninsula's state of emergency continues due to incoming wet weather
Cracks in Lighthouse Road, Akaroa which led to some houses being evacuated due to landslip fears. Photo: Christchurch City Council A decision to lift or extend the state of emergency for Banks Peninsula has been delayed because of wet weather forecast later in the week. The region has been in a state of emergency for almost a week after being drenched by heavy rain that caused widespread flooding and slips in Canterbury and closed State Highway 75 for days. No homes were red or yellow-stickered in Christchurch, or on Banks Peninsula, but four homes were evacuated as a precaution in Akaroa because of a slip on Lighthouse Road. Christchurch City Council controller Anne Colombus said the decision had been delayed until Thursday because staff wanted to better understand rain forecast for Friday. She said a change in the weather could trigger further land instability. "Lighthouse Road remains an active slip site, which we are monitoring closely for any movement in the land. No changes have been recorded since yesterday, but wet weather could easily change this," she said. "Until we have a better understanding of what's happening with the land, it is currently not safe for people to use this road or people live closely nearby. "We are working closely with affected property owners and businesses and are also looking at alternative access options for properties affected by the closure of Lighthouse Road. "There have been a number of slips of varying sizes that our contractors have been tiding up and further wet weather could exacerbate this." Mayor Phil Mauger declared a state of emergency for both Christchurch and Banks Peninsula last Thursday, with the city recording its fourth wettest day on record, although it was lifted in Christchurch on Sunday. Neighbouring Selwyn District Council also declared a state of emergency last Thursday, which was lifted the following day. About 50 properties were affected by flooding, with seven homes yellow-stickered, mostly in Doyleston, Leeston and Southbridge. Homes and businesses in Little River were swamped by floodwaters after more than 200mm of rain fell on the peninsula. Farmland was submerged and some properties in Akaroa were inundated with sewage . The community of Little River was hard hit by flooding. Photo: Christchurch City Council Mauger marked the council 10-out-of-10 for its handling of last week's storm although he conceded people in Little River would not give glowing reviews of the response. Little River residents were critical of the council, saying if Lake Forsyth had been opened to the the sea earlier the flooding could have been mitigated. The lake was opened on Friday night, when locals said water drained from the settlement as if a plug had been pulled from a bath. The council said it would review the decision not to open Lake Forsyth sooner. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
