Hoihere Road near Ōroua River in Manawatū-Whanganui, with the flood barrier deployed on the far side of the bridge. Photo: Supplied / Horizons Regional Council
Emergency centres in the central North Island have been stood down, after heavy rain overnight damaged roads and sparked evacuations.
Slips and flooding closed sections of State Highways 3 and 4 this morning and the Rangitikei District came close to declaring a state of emergency when the Tutaenui Stream overflowed.
MANAWATŪ-WHANGANUI – FLOODING & SLIPS –UPDATE 5:50PM
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Central North Island (@WakaKotahiCNI) May 21, 2023
SH3 remains CLOSED between Bulls and Lake Alice. NB detour via Wilson St, SH1, Makirikiri Rd and Pukepapa Rd. Reverse for SB. ^EH https://t.co/MHMReb8jDC pic.twitter.com/Tk65LpcQFL
Mayor Andy Watson said the stream burst its banks first in Marton, and then several hours later in Bulls.
Emergency centres were set up in both towns as some residents had to evacuate as a result.
Flooding in Marton after the Tutaenui Stream overflowed. Photo: Supplied / Lequan Meihana
Watson said the situation was not looking good first thing, but stream levels were dropping and some streets earlier closed by flooding had now reopened.
"We've been able to stand down our emergency centres tonight, we think that we're back under control.
"We didn't need to declare an emergency - we came close to it early this morning but the decision was that the staff could cope with existing resources."
Watson said between 20 and 30 homes may have been damaged but an official number was not yet available.
The council was trying to collect more information on road closures in more remote areas and contractors and council staff would assess the damage tomorrow, he said.
In Whanganui, residents have been warned that more slips could occur as land in the area remains saturated.
About 20 people were evacuated from Putiki, a low-lying area next to Whanganui River, around 9.30pm yesterday.
Last night saw strong winds across the North Island
— MetService (@MetService) May 21, 2023
And high rainfall for the central North Island as a low pressure system crossed over
✈ Whanganui Airport recorded its second wettest May day since observations began in 1971
Here are some of the stats pic.twitter.com/z9aX9BUbbB
Mayor Andrew Tripe said although the rain had stopped, the area was not out of the woods yet.
"Some of the land is vulnerable to landslides and indeed we've got quite a large and ... complex landslide in Shakespeare Road close to Kowhai Park."
He said the next step would be to inspect low-lying areas and check if roads had been damaged.
MetService said the heavy rain saw the city's airport record its second-wettest May day since observations began in 1971.
