A motorist had a close call when a slip brought down trees on the road between Taylorville and the Stillwater bridge. The driver was shaken but unhurt. Photo / Paul McBride
A motorist had a close call when a slip brought down trees on the road between Taylorville and the Stillwater bridge. The driver was shaken but unhurt. Photo / Paul McBride
An overnight slip has closed SH73 and flooding has affected roads across the West Coast but officials say the worst of the deluge has passed, with the amount and intensity of rain now easing.
West Coast Emergency Management said while Westland had received a considerable amount of rain over the past 24 hours the rainfall has decreased with no major issues reported from overnight.
Regional council staff monitoring the situation said the Hokitika River peaked at 4 am with some roads affected overnight however there were “no major impacts at this stage”.
Across the region a slip on SH73 between Jacksons and Kumara Junction, south of Greymouth, had left the road impassable while further north flooding was affecting much of the coastal SH6 from Haast through to Runanga north of Greymouth this morning.
Those using alpine passes in the region were also told to watch for strong winds, with high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists advised to take extra care.
This morning MetService added a fresh weather warning for snow falling on the Crown Range Rd between 8 - 11am. Rain was expected to turn to snow with up to 3cm accumulating on the summit of the road before lunchtime today.
Earlier a West Coast weather management group was actively monitoring a strong weather band moving up the coast, following significant rainfall and rising rivers.
The West Coast Emergency Management Group said ranges in Westland had experienced heavy rain in the early hours of the morning, the band of rain expected to hit Buller, coastal ranges and the Paparoa Ranges.
Regional Council staff were monitoring rivers throughout the West Coast, with the Emergency Operations Centre in Westland activated yesterday afternoon as a precautionary approach.
Motorists warned of surface flooding on State Highway 6 south of Hokitika on the South Island West Coast. Photo / George Heard
Yesterday the Waiho river at Franz Joseph saw local protection take place with a contractor easing the pressure in a localised area of the river to “provide assurance to the community”.
Further north, the Hokitika river continued to rise throughout the day and was being closely monitored, as it approached the “critical time” of high tide at 6.45pm.
The message from Claire Brown, Civil Defence group manager, was simple: “Keep up to date.”
“We have seen a change occur in the forecast from MetService. While we do not anticipate that this will cause major issues, people need to be aware so they can be prepared.”
Westland had been told by MetService on Wednesday to expect up to 450mm of rain to fall on the ranges between Otira and Bruce Bay, with peak rates of 50mm/h.
Meanwhile, Buller residents have been told to expect 200mm of rainfall around the ranges south of Karamea, but up to 300mm around the Paparoa Range.
“The heavy rain from the event may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly,” said Brown.
“Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous.”
