Southland residents warned not to be complacent as river levels rise

Residents affected by heavy flooding in Southland are being urged not to be complacent about warnings that they need to get out, as river levels are expected to rise.

Emergency Management Southland has posted a number of notices on its social media channels telling people not to take anything for granted after heavy rain led to massive flooding and landslips in the region.

"Wyndham residents ... you need to evacuate now. The Mataura River is expected to peak with 2740 cubic metres per second at Wyndham at 3.20pm today.

"Residents of the township and surrounding low-lying areas should gather key personal belongings and proceed to the Mokoreta Hall or the Mimihau Hall as soon as possible to await further information."

Our story continues under RNZ's live blog:

Authorities thanked those in Mataura who had co-operated with evacuation orders.

As well as leaving, people were encouraged to check on their neighbours and to share the information with those who might not have seen the warnings.

Anyone who finds themselves in danger or is unable to evacuate from their home is urged to call 111 immediately.

Hokonui Breakfast radio Luke Howden said they had to wade through waist-high water to leave their house on Ontario St in Gore late yesterday afternoon.

He said they saw the water rise very rapidly about 4pm.

Posted by Emergency Management Southland on Tuesday, 4 February 2020

"Before we knew it, it was licking on the back doorstep. We had the fire crews outside whistling for us to grab some things and get out.

"It was a matter of wading through waist-high water to get to the end of the street and into safety."

SOUTH ISLAND WEATHER EVENT - ROAD CLOSURES - 5 FEB
Keep up to date with the current road closures, in Otago and Southland, on the NZTA Traffic & Travel web page. https://t.co/vG45XcdEug pic.twitter.com/tVKbJhnDO1

— Waka Kotahi Otago & Southland (@WakaKotahiOS) February 4, 2020

His partner, Amber Geerlings, said they only had about half an hour to pack a change of clothes, some family photos and grab the dog before getting out.

She said they were waiting to hear when they would be okay to go return to their house and were now dreading what they might find.

"Since the water was at our front door when we left, we'll have to see what it looks like."

The couple had planned to go to singer Sir Elton John's concert before taking a few days off, but were unable to after the bad weather struck.

Instead, they were in the studio until about 9pm yesterday and again for 5am this morning, reporting on the situation and keeping the community updated.

By late this morning, the weather conditions looked "stunning", Geerlings said, and it was now a matter of the big clean up.

As of midday, the MetService did not have any severe weather warnings or watches in place in the region or anywhere in the country.

A few showers could be expected from this afternoon in Invercargill and a temperature high of 17C.

Dunedin is enjoying a fine day and some westerly winds and a high of 20C. Those in Queenstown have similar conditions and a high of 17C and overnight low of 11C.

PREPERATIONS CONTINUE FOR THE 2020 BURT MUNRO CHALLENGE! For those travelling South ride safe and keep up to date with...

Posted by Burt Munro Challenge on Tuesday, 4 February 2020

BURT MUNRO CHALLENGE WILL GO ON RAIL, HAIL OR SHINE

Meanwhile, the biggest motorcycle rally in the Southern Hemisphere is still expected to go on despite heavy flooding taking out roads in the region.

Riders in this week's Burt Munro Challenge are being told that the event will go on "rail, hail or shine".

The event's Facebook site reported spectators and participants continued to arrive by the dozen in Invercargill.

Regular updates are now being posted on the site - warning riders still making their way down to the region to check the NZTA website for information on road closures due to flooding around Southland, as well as for travel warnings.