The kaumātua flats in Pūtiki have been evacuated after the Ngatarua Stream rose significantly following heavy rain in Whanganui.
Civil Defence and Fire and Emergency New Zealand were called to the flats this morning to assist residents.
The Ngatarua Stream and others around the district are now slowly receding as the rain has eased.
Pūtiki's kaumātua flats were evacuated on Thursday morning. Photo / Bevan Conley
There were multiple slips and road closures yesterday evening with Whanganui District Council infrastructure, Downer and other contractors busy throughout the night.
Red Cross has been assisting with doorknocking, sandbagging and helping to move belongings.
Fire and Emergency has been pumping water to help clear roads and assisting with safety issues.
Streets across Whanganui were closed last night due to flooding, mostly in the Aramoho and Whanganui East areas.
Kauarapaoa Rd and Longacre Rd remain closed on Thursday morning but Kaukatea Valley Rd, Ikitara Rd, Turoa Rd and Brunswick Rd up to Blueskin Rd are now open, the council said.
All drivers are advised to take extreme care. The status of these roads could change at any moment.
Residents in Turoa Rd say last nights flooding in Turoa Rd was worse than 2015, with Red Cross and Civil Defence making sure residents were safe. Photo / Supplied
Turoa Rd resident Sally Gray said this was the worst flooding she had seen.
"We moved here not long after the 2015 floods, but other residents are saying it was worse than [2015] around here. He said he has never seen anything like it in the 35 years he has lived here.
"The street was completely flooded at one point. The whole street was awash."
No homes had to be evacuated as most of the houses were built on higher ground in case of floods.
Gray said in the 1960s a retaining dam was built further up the valley to restrict the water flow down the stream so the properties didn't get flooded, but it had not really served its purpose.
"It's getting worse. It can't handle it. Last night, the water was just flowing out of it and the surrounding paddocks were getting flooded.
"The flooding is getting worse. We got a lot of rain, but as soon as the ground is sodden, it floods. It's getting beyond a joke really."
Horizons Regional Council is continuing to monitor river levels across the region with more rain forecast for today.
Horizons incident controller Craig Grant said river levels had dropped overnight but soils were saturated.
"For this reason, we will be keeping a close eye on the situation this morning as to date the weather has been somewhat unpredictable and changing very quickly," Grant said.
"The key rivers that we're watching are the Makino, Manawatū, Mangaone and Matarawa. Overall, our major river systems are coping as we'd expect; however, all our catchments are saturated and it won;t take much to put pressure on them.
"At this point the Makino floodgates will remain closed to divert water away from the town and we will reassess this later in the day. The Moutoa floodgates will not be opening at this stage as the Manawatū is receding; however, with more rain coming we are not ruling this out."
Horizons emergency management staff would undertake damage assessments on the council's flood assets today, including an aerial reconnaissance flight with Manawatū District Council which will also help identify isolated communities, Grant said.
"We're already aware of stopbank damage downstream of Feilding on the Makino and roads washed out in numerous locations.
"With the rain forecasted today there may be some more surface flooding; however, this is due to localised rainfall overwhelming stormwater networks rather than flooding from rivers and streams.
People are being urged to drive carefully in Manawatū with many roads still closed due to flooding.
The Manawatū District Council Facebook page has a map with the latest road closures. Feilding is only accessible via State Highway 54.
Some roads that are closed are still allowing residents access in and out but people should drive with caution, watch their speed, and follow the direction of roading crews.
More than a hundred houses in the district have been flooded, mainly in Feilding but also in Reureu Valley, and five people were evacuated in Feilding overnight.
A helicopter is taking off from Feilding about 10am to assess the damage from flooding in the Manawatu District.
The council knows of at least 114 properties that have been inundated with water but suspects there are more.
Five people have been evacuated and many roads are closed.
Spokesman Ben Caldwell said anyone who has no landline, phone or internet, and is cut off and needs help, should put a bedsheet on the front lawn, which will alert the helicopter crew to visit and check on them.
Rangitīkei District Council democracy and planning group manager Carol Gordon said the council had not had any reports of flooding as yet and staff were making calls around the area.
