More than 200 homes evacuated in Nelson-Tasman flooding, more rain to come

• 233 homes have been evacuated after flooding in the Nelson East area
• A further 200mm to 400mm of rain is forecast
• Nine schools across Nelson, Marlborough and the West Coast closed
• The main highway between Blenheim and Nelson is shut

More than 200 homes have been evacuated in the Nelson East area after the Maitai river burst its banks, with another 160 households in Westport asked to self-evacuate due to flood risks too.

Nelson mayor Rachel Reese said Maitai River levels had exceeded a 1-in-20-year flood and it had risen very quickly. The rain was expected to hit further north than it did and instead got “stuck” in the Maitai catchment area, she said.

“It’s important now that those who have been evacuated stay away from their homes as it is still not safe to return to your home,” she said in a statement on Facebook on Wednesday night.

“If people have no safe place to go, they should head to the Saxton Stadium where they will be able to gain assistance. I’d like to thank the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and Rapid Relief Trust for providing this service.”

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Nelson Civil Defence public information manager Chris Choat said the Maitai River was continuing to recede, but, as more rain was expected into Thursday, there was “every chance” the region’s rivers would rise again.

MetService is forecasting the weather event to last for at least two days.

In Tasman, a heavy rain warning is in place between Wednesday 8pm and Thursday 9pm, with a further 200mm to 400mm of rain expected.

A heavy rain warning is in place for the Nelson region from Cape Soucis, through Nelson City to Stoke, between Wednesday 8pm and Thursday 11pm.

The area could expect a further 200 to 300mm of rain, with peak rates of 15 to 25mm/h possible, especially on Thursday morning.

Nelson Civil Defence will monitor the rivers and rainfall overnight, and if conditions allowed it, people would be allowed to return on Thursday to properties that had been evacuated.

Boil water notices were in place on Wednesday night for 88 Valley and Dovedale and there were a number of road closures due to flooding and slips. Wastewater services were under pressure.

People are advised to stay off the roads, not let children play in floodwater, and self-evacuate if they feel at risk.

Tasman District Police will continue to assist local Civil Defence Emergency Management teams and Defence Force personnel will be patrolling the evacuated area overnight to keep an eye on those properties.

Police staff have travelled from around the region to assist their colleagues in the hardest hit areas.

Nine schools across Nelson, Marlborough and the West Coast were closed on Wednesday as a result of the weather, impacting 1553 students, along with five early learning centres. Parents should check school websites or Facebook pages for more information.

As State Highway 6/Rocks Rd is closed due to slips, Civil Defence is asking people in Nelson to work from home on Thursday.

Waka Kotahi spokesperson Andrew James said there were state highway closures in Tākaka, Nelson and Marlborough, and no direct link between Blenheim and Nelson because of flooding on State Highway 6 between Hira and Havelock.

“The alternative route is via SH63 and the Wairau Valley. As the rain is set to continue, State Highway 6 between Blenheim and Nelson and State Highway 60 between Takaka and Collingwood are likely to remain closed until Friday.”

River flow measurements available on the Tasman District Council’s website showed the river went from flows of 3.31 cubic metres per second (cumecs) at 5am, to 446.87 cumecs at 4pm.

The flows increased steadily from 5am to noon, when there were 91.61 cumec flows, before sharply increasing from 1pm onwards. The website was down at 9pm.

People spoken to on the street were scared, saying they had never seen anything like this before.

Households across Westport, Seddonville and Mokihinui self-evacuate

Residents in parts of Buller have been advised to voluntarily evacuate their homes following updated forecasts and flood modelling.

Buller Civil Defence controller Al Lawn said approximately 160 households across three parts of Westport had been asked to self-evacuate.

”Some of those areas could be at risk in the early hours of tomorrow morning.”

Lawn was still hopeful no-one would have to return to flooded houses, he said.

Buller deputy mayor Sharon Roche said they were “very aware” of another front expected to come through on Friday.

Council was doing everything it could to avoid a repeat of the situation in February, where two back-to-back rain events caused significant flooding in some parts of Westport, she said.

’I’m not going to be living here again … It’s like my home is gone’

Ruth Barrett, 69, said it was impossible to know what to take as she left her Nelson home – CDs, paintings, an upside-down glass given to her by her mother decades ago.

Brown water covered the floor, reaching about mid-calf, and items float across the surface. Wet carpet squelched underfoot as Barrett moved through the room, picking up belongings to carry to her car.

“It’s cliché, but it’s the photos of the children you want.”

Barret said she first noticed brown water in her back garden, at around 3pm. Then a Nelson City Council worker came and knocked on her door, warning her that the river was rising.

Now, her rental is flooded, and its contents ruined. The 69-year-old is between jobs, and doesn’t have content insurance.

“When they said it was going flood, I knew it was going to happen.

“I’m not going to be living here again … It’s like my home is gone.”

Family and beloved Jack Russell rescued from floodwaters

Bevan Bennett, alongside his family and their beloved Jack Russell Miko, were evacuated by a Surf Lifesaver inflatable rescue boat (IRB) from their Nile St, Nelson home on Wednesday.

“They got us in a big yellow raft and floated us up the driveway.”

Miko, although stressed, was fine being transported by boat – but he couldn’t work out why he was going on a boat if he wasn’t getting any fish, Bennett joked.

Bennett said his home was one of the houses alongside the Maitai River.

Long accustomed to recognising the Maitai’s moods, when he saw the river reach the asphalt outside his home he knew it was “getting high,” and started moving cars around.

Nile St residents have always lived with flooding, Bennett said – but not of this magnitude.