Coast rivers warning alarms in May
Brendon McMahon, Local democracy reporter
Hydrology data collected by the West Coast Regional Council underscores just how wet the month was.
However while the Hokitika and Haast rivers exceeded their 1-year annual return periods during heavy rain on May 9, high flows in the Grey and Buller rivers further north remained below their one-year annual return, a resource science report to the Resource Management Committee on Tuesday says.
"May has been a wet month of unsettled weather for the West Coast with the Hokitika and Waiho rivers triggering four flood warning alarm responses," the staff report says.
"On average, most flows recorded were above or near median annual flows".
On May 3 the Hokitika passed the first alarm threshold of 3750mm and peaked at 3793mm; six days later on May 9 it peaked at 4411mm.
The threshold of 8000mm at the Waiho (Waiau) River at Franz Josef was passed and peaked at 8474mm on May 3; it peaked slightly lower at 8144mm on May 9.
In April the Hokitika River at the gorge measuring point, surpassed its flood alarm threshold on the 11th, with a peak of 3762mm.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️