First this morning, the situation in Canterbury where a second day of heavy rain has swollen rivers to dangerous levels, washed out bridges and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents. The town of Ashburton has been particularly badly affected, with preparations being made in case the Ashburton River rises any further. At 8am this morning it was running at 13-hundred and 28 cubic metres per second, a slight drop from its peak of 14-hundred about 9pm last night - but authorities warn further rain is on the way and there's still high flows moving through the system. About 4-thousand homes are at risk of flooding if the Ashburton River breaches its banks: 17-hundred on the south branch and 22-hundred on the north. Kathryn speaks to the mayor of the Ashburton District Neil Brown.
Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd
