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Dunedin residents have spent a miserable night in cars and evacuation centres after fleeing flooded homes amidst an extreme downpour.
A state of emergency has been declared as heavy rain lashed Dunedin overnight, causing more than 80 residents to evacuate.
Peter and Sasha Forester spent the night in their car with their autistic son and four pets.
“We’ve got an autistic son who didn’t want to get out of the car and he didn’t want to leave me by myself,” said Sasha.
The Foresters self-evacuated about 2.30am as the flooding intensified.
“Water was coming up our bathroom floor and our hallway floor and was getting close to both of our doors,” said Sasha.
They have since tried to get some rest, with two dogs, two cats and their son in the car.
“We’re very anxious, we don’t know what kind of damage or where we’re going to sleep tonight, we’ve got pets as well so we’ve gotta find places for them.”
Sasha said she doesn’t think they’ll be getting back to their house any time soon.
“The roads are atrocious, I don’t think we’ll be able to get back there.”.
Among the evacuees are Ian and Robyn Campbell, who left their home after their house was flooded late last night.
“Bugger,” Ian Campbell said.
Ian said his house had extensive flooding.
”The water was coming up under the floor and up through the shower and all that kind of stuff...right through the house.”
Wading through the slushing water throughout his home, Campbell said it was about 50mm high through the entire house.
”The carpet’s knackered. We lifted as much as we could last night, before we left.
”We just got the house all redone after the last flood - it was just looking really good. And now it’s...” he said with a slight laugh.
”Sort of a bit gutted, really. You can’t stop the water. Sandbags will keep it out for a while...but all sorts of places, it was coming.”
Campbell said the next item on their agenda was to get insurance sorted and get the cat to a cattery as they got stuck into cleaning up.
Rose, whose surname will not be used, lives on Bay View Rd in St Clair. The area’s been inundated, with both sandbagging and rubberneckers all night.
“We’ve got rubberneckers roaring around in big RVs. I’m in a low-lying area and it feels like living in Holland,” she said.
“We’re flooded right round the flats. The gardens are awash - pots are floating everywhere.”
Another Dunedin resident, Diane, phoned to wake up her disabled friend in South Dunedin who didn’t realise her home had been cut off by flooding.
“Her back yard is a flood and out the front, very wet. She was totally unaware because everyone was in bed asleep,” she said.
“I’d actually have to drive past the St Clair Golf Course to get down to her, but down the bottom of where the road comes out there’s flooding.”
A Surrey St resident, whose name will not be used, lives on an elevated section, but said low-lying areas are completely underwater.
“It’s just like a lake - that’s all I can describe it as being. There’s just constant sirens going.”
The University of Otago campus announced it will remain open, offering a dry, warm place to go for students whose flats have been impacted.
Vice-chancellor Grant Robertson told the Herald they’ve been clear that people should only attend campus if they feel safe to do so.
“It’s quite a nice space to be warm and dry if your place isn’t, we know that the library is a really good place to be for some students,” he said.
Robertson said they’ve stayed in touch with students overnight who live on the Leith riverbank.
“Those students were door knocked last night and advised to have a go bag ready to prepare ... fortunately they did not have to evacuate.”
Robertson said aside from existing buildings with leaks, there has been no flood damage on campus.
Up to 100mm of rain is expected to hit today. A red heavy rain warning is expected to remain in place until 9pm.
Katie Oliver is a Christchurch-based Multimedia Journalist and breaking news reporter.
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