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Civil defence staff were on alert last night as rapidly rising Canterbury rivers threatened to flood.
In Arthurs Pass, a household was evacuated as a precaution because of the rapidly rising Bealey River, said Selwyn District Council civil defence manager Wilson Brown.
People in the Rakaia Huts area, near mid-Canterbury's Rakaia River, were being advised to get to safer ground. The rivers rose after strong northwest winds brought heavy rain to the area.
"The Bealey [River] runs parallel to Arthurs Pass village and it has breached its first bank. People in Arthurs Pass township are on standby and Civil Defence staff are maintaining a close watch on the river," Mr Brown said.
The road from Otira to Arthurs Pass was closed by flooding and slips yesterday.
