Southland floods: State of emergency declared as third town told to evacuate

Publish Date
Wednesday, 5 February 2020, 10:10AM
Photo / High Country Helicopters

Photo / High Country Helicopters

Residents of low-lying areas of Gore and Mataura are being evacuated as river levels rise and people in a third Southland town, Wyndham, are being told they will have to leave.

Teams of police went door to door this morning to ensure people were leaving. Large swathes of farmland were underwater and state highways in the area are closed.

Power is off to east Gore, and the main bridge over the Mataura River in Gore is closed to all but emergency services, Civil Defence said.

Police were also helping evacuate people in Mataura.

At 5.30am the Mataura River was 4.3m above normal levels at Gore and 6.5m above normal just south of Mataura. Large swathes of farmland were under water and many roads are impassable.

Southland civil defence officials told people in low-lying areas of the towns to leave their homes and go to friends and family on higher ground or to community hubs set up for evacuees in both towns. The community centres in Gore filled up this morning and residents were being sent to Gore High School.

Wyndham was likely to flood this afternoon and residents should go towards higher ground at Mokoreta, officials said.

Riversdale residents were put on standby to leave their homes if required.

Anyone who needs help should call 111.

Southland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group chair Neville Cook said it could be several days before rivers in the area returned to normal, so people should take medication, a change of clothes and personal items. Pets can be taken to the Waimumu Field Days site.

"Please don't try and drive in the flooded areas because we suspect in some areas roads will be washed out and the water will be contaminated.

"Fortunately we've had time to plan this, everything is in hand now. The police and the armed services and fire and various other groups are assisting with the evacuation."

Floodwaters were due to peak about 8.30am in the Gore area and at 10.30 at Mataura, Cook said. "These peaks may last for a while - it's not going to be a five-minute thing."

Regular updates are being posted to the Emergency Management Southland Facebook page and shows the urgency of the situation.

RESIDENTS TOLD TO LEAVE NOW

Residents in East Gore, Mataura and Wyndham have all been told to evacuate immediately.

"Please take essential documents, personal medications and clothing with you. If you require assistance, please call 111."

An update posted just after 9am said the evacuation of almost 200 tourists at Milford Sound got underway at first light this morning.

Helicopters are being brought in to help with the evacuation. Buses will take tourists to the Fiordland Events Centre where they will be met by Emergency Management Southland welfare staff.

"Morale has been high among the visitors and staff, as they received regular briefings and have been in contact with friends and family."

Electricity has been cut to east Gore due to heavy flooding in the area and a "boil water" notice has also been issued by the Gore District Council.

Authorities said early this morning that more roads would be affected by floodwaters today.

"The Riverton Highway is likely to be significantly affected, so please bear this in mind when planning any travel.

"We advise avoiding any unnecessary travel - taking extreme caution if you need to go out and checking [the NZ Transport Agency] and local council websites for road closures."

Up to 15 homes were earlier evacuated on Ontario St in Gore.

 

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.

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