Buller residents urged to prepare for emergency as severe floods threaten once again

The Team Reporter from The Press

From reporter Liz McDonald:

Pumps are being brought in and sandbags distributed as the Buller region on the West Coast braces for heavy rain and fast rising rivers which could bring severe flooding for the third time in just over a year.

MetService has issued weather warnings for early Tuesday morning until Thursday evening.

Buller mayor Jamie Cleine said on Monday an emergency operations centre and staffing rosters were being set up.

Sandbags and sand to fill them were available at several locations on Monday for residents to collect.

He advised residents to keep a close eye on updates, including on social media.

“We’re asking people to stay tuned in.”

Civil Defence has warned Buller residents to have emergency supplies ready, be prepared for power outages, and keep up to date with the latest weather warnings. It also advised stock be moved to higher ground, pets be brought indoors, leaves be cleared from drains and spouting, and people check on neighbours.

“This could be a serious event and it is important that people know what may happen as the event unfolds,” Civil Defence regional director Claire Brown said in a statement.

MetService has issued heavy rain warnings for Buller, western Tasman, Westland, the Marlborough Sounds, and the Bryant and Richmond ranges, as well as some North Island areas. Modelling indicates 700mm to 800mm of rain could accumulate during that period in the Tasman ranges, which contain part of the catchment of the upper Buller River.

Cleine said the West Coast Regional Council’s rivers team is doing analysis on what areas will be most at risk of flooding.

The catchments of the Buller, Mokohinui and Karamea Rivers are expected to be heavily affected, and the coast would also see significant rainfall, he said.

“The numbers are currently a cause of concern to us. There’s potential for a significant event of a scale not dissimilar to July [2021] and February.”

Flooding in July last year was the region’s worst for decades, leading to evacuations over almost half of Westport and a three-week-long state of emergency.

More floods in February this year again caused widespread damage and left the town cut off.

Cleine said six water pumps have been ordered from Greymouth and Canterbury and will be placed around Westport. Placement depended on what worked last year, and whether there was somewhere for water to go, he said.

It was too early to know whether any areas would need to be evacuated, he said.

MetService has forecast rain to peak at 10mm to 15mm an hour about the Buller ranges from Tuesday morning to Thursday evening, with 300mm to 500mm expected to accumulate about the ranges south of Little Wanganui, and 150mm to 250mm elsewhere in the region.

“Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous,” the weather service has warned.

In next door Tasman district, rainfall could peak at 10mm to 15mm on Tuesday, then 15mm to 25mm on Wednesday and Thursday.

Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency has warned drivers to be alert and prepare for road closures.

Civil Defence said sand is available at the following Westport locations:
Pulse Energy Recreation Centre car park – by the courts
Kawatiri Coastal Trail – Buller Bridge car park
Craddock Park – car park
Coates St – Rayner Park
Mokihinui/Seddonville – Mokihinui campground
Ngakawau/Granity – Ngakawau information centre car park
Reefton – Westreef Yard
Carters Beach – McIntyre Rd pull in
Westport Airport

Following the previous series of floods, a $26 million West Coast Regional Council flood wall and stopbank scheme to protect Westport is now awaiting Government sign-off as part of a business case for $45m of flood protection work.

The regional council recently approved a contract to repair historic stopbanks upstream of the town damaged in the July floods.