1 Jun 2021

Canterbury flooding: Ashburton Civil Defence update

From Morning Report, 6:12 am on 1 June 2021

Hundreds of Mid Canterbury residents have spent another night next to their packed bags, ready for evacuations at any second.

While the rain has eased, rivers are continuing to drain a three-day deluge, swathes of farmland is still submerged and roads remain closed across the region.

Ashburton remains cut off to the north and the south - with 19 roads either submerged or badly damaged - and overnight about 20 stranded travellers camped out at the Hakatere Marae.

Civil Defence and Emergency Management operational readiness coordinator Andrew Howe has been on the night shift.