West Coast emergency preparations in full swing as forecasted deluge descends

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

Marcus Shenker​ thought he would spend his birthday fishing – instead, he spent it moving valuables into his roof attic in preparation for his already-damaged Westport home to flood again.

A state of emergency in the Buller District was declared on Wednesday, and MetService has issued heavy rain warnings for Buller and Westland which last until Friday.

The red warning is the highest of MetService’s alerts, reserved for the most extreme storms. Forecasters have warned this rain could be worse than the storm that caused a devastating flood in Westport last July.

Shenker, a retired geofield assistant, had planned to spend his 66th birthday fishing, taking a walk on the beach, and a roast dinner.

Instead, he was storing valuables in the roof of his home, which is still damaged from last year's flood.

Carpet is missing, as are proper internal walls, while the bathtub is outside. He is still dealing with insurers from the previous flood.

Wednesday’s rainfall was not as bad as last year’s, he said.

After the July flood, Shenker lived in temporary accommodation for two months after water about waist-deep went through his home.

His home was also flooded in 2018, during Cyclone Fehi.

“These are all like once-in-a-100-year floods that are happening now like every six months.”

As of 7pm on Wednesday, 99mm of rain had fallen in Westport, while 48.6mm fell in Hokitika.

Westport’s O’Conor Memorial Rest Home, near the Buller River, evacuated 68 residents as a precaution.

Buller Health's Foote Ward also closed, while Buller Medical was preparing to provide care from an alternative location.

St John set up a temporary health centre at Carters Beach, near Westport, in the evening.

Four New Zealand Defence Force trucks and one support vehicle with 10 army personnel arrived in Greymouth on Wednesday evening. An NH90 helicopter would also fly south to help, a spokesperson said.

Buller mayor Jamie Cleine urged people to prepare getaway bags ahead of potential evacuations on Thursday.

Many spent Wednesday preparing sandbags. Volunteers filled them in the car park of Westport’s recreation centre.

Richard Sanders, 45, a chef, said helping fill sandbags was a distraction from thinking about his own house, which was still not fully repaired from the July floods,

Jan Woodcock, 67, a community health support worker, said the weather event left her with a feeling of "here we go again".

"We didn't get flooded last time, but the water is now lapping the footpath [outside my home]," she said.

Further south, power went out at Franz Josef and Fox Glacier at 11am on Wednesday when a tree hit lines at Lake Mapourika. Westpower said power was restored at 3.25pm.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said all West Coasts highways were still open on Wednesday evening, except SH6 between Fox Glacier and Makaroa, which was closed due to surface flooding.

NZTA West Coast maintenance contract manager Moira Whinham said overall there had only been minor slips, which were cleared easily.

“Our teams will continue to monitor key rivers and bridge approaches, with night patrols as needed," she said.

MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris​ said residents should prepare for a possible “long-running” event, which could extend into the weekend.

There were parallels with last year's flooding and residents should again prepare for similar impacts, he said.

“There's going to be flooding, there's going to be slips, disruptions to roading networks, possibly even power and telecommunications.”