Mission 'ambo's horror story'

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It was a paramedic's "horror story": trying to get a woman who was apparently in labour to hospital in the middle of a flood.

She showed up at the Marton ambulance station at 1.38am on Sunday, just as the rivers around the the region were reaching their worst, St John Wanganui territory manager John Stretton said.

Both a helicopter and a St John four-wheel-drive were dispatched to reach them - there was no way for the ambulance to get through to either Whanganui or Palmerston North Hospital while the rain poured, bringing down slips and trees across roads, and flooding rivers.

To make matters worse, the helicopter was unable to land and meet the ambulance where they were "stranded" north of Bulls.

Mr Stretton said they had to resort to plan B, linking up with the four-wheel-drive, which battled its way through from Feilding. They reached Palmerston North at 4.14am. "It's a terrible pun but I'm going to say it. She made it in one piece," Mr Stretton said.

"It was a real mission, actually ... it's every ambo's horror story."

Mr Stretton liaised with ambulance officers from where he was based in Wanganui, and other territory managers and communications centres were involved in getting the woman safely delivered.

"She was well taken care of. The guys reassured her that one way or another we would get her through."

Though the woman was thought to be in labour, it later turned out to be a false alarm.

"It was a challenge. Part of the problem we had, we didn't know exactly what roads were closed. I can't over-emphasise how big a team job it was, actually.

Over the weekend, many Wanganui St John officers were working without a break to help out during the flooding.