Nelson resident Paul Maskell spoke from Devenish Place, where flooding has destroyed the road.
Video / George Heard
Communities near Nelson are being evacuated for a second night as the “devastating” wild weather continues to lash the top of the South Island.
Civil Defence Nelson Tasman spokesman Chris Choat said all residents on Airlie St in Glenduan, north of Nelson, are being evacuated.
Choat said this was a precautionary measure and authorities preferred to evacuate them now rather than at 2am when high tide was expected.
The Maitai River, which runs through Nelson city, burst its banks and floodwater flowed onto the road while flattening shrubs and plants.
“The river level is comparative to yesterday for sure, and we are monitoring it closely. We can’t say with certainty that it is going to be higher than yesterday’s level,” Choat said.
Residents around Nelson will wake to the aftermath of the “devastating” wild weather that forced hundreds of people from their homes and will take years to recover from.
Heavy rain caused havoc across the country, virtually cutting off the north from the rest of the country, submerging other routes and sinking a boat in Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour after it broke its mooring and smashed against a rocky sea wall.
In Nelson, intense rain caused significant damage across the city, washing out roads, flooding homes and prompting landslides.
Hundreds of homes were evacuated as emergency response crews moved in to assess how badly damaged the properties were.
Civil Defence Controller Alec Louverdis said he was hopeful the assessments could be completed today and was “praying” most people would be able to return to their homes.
Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty travelled to Nelson on Thursday and said the damage was extensive.
“We were literally watching a hill just flow on down, it was like you were pouring out yoghurt out of a container, just this thick sludge carrying on down, steady as.
“And also a relatively new development, where the middle of the road had just been washed out, a crater that was deeper than I am tall.”
Most of the rivers on the West Coast were starting to drop by Thursday afternoon, McAnulty said.
Experts say an “atmospheric river” is behind the week’s heavy rain and is likely connected to climate change.
University of Otago senior lecturer in geography Dr Daniel Kingston said earlier in the week the weather event could be more damaging because it comes on top of an already exceptionally wet winter.
Kingston said although this specific weather event had not been analysed regarding the influence of climate change, it was “more than likely playing a role”.
Niwa meteorologist Tristan Meyers said it was being investigated whether or not atmospheric rivers were increasing for New Zealand but, “I’d speculate that it’s in line with what we would expect from climate change.”
MetService said there was expected to be some reprieve in the heavy rain for the upper South Island before it returned this afternoon through to tomorrow morning.
NZ rain event 15-21 Aug:
Highest running totals to 7pm Aug 18th801mm Anatoki rv @ Paradise
769mm Dawson Falls (Mt Taranaki)
706mm Anatoki rv @ Happy Sams
637mm Buckland Peaks
625mm Cropp Rv
619mm Aorere rv @ Perry Saddle
573mm Goldney Ridge
572mm Takaka @ Canaan
554mm Tuke Rv— Hauraki Gulf Weather (@GulfHauraki) August 18, 2022
The national weather authority had issued warnings for either heavy rain and strong winds for much of the northern and western parts of the country, including red warnings for Buller, Westland and Nelson, however these were due to expire last night.
McAnulty said on Thursday the initial concern was that the wild weather was headed toward Golden Bay, however it changed quickly and predominately hit Nelson.
In Nelson, 308 homes had to be evacuated today, including 10 due to a landslide and the rest due to flooding. McAnulty said roughly 20 per cent of the 104 properties assessed today had been yellow or red-stickered.
“It’s clear that there is going to be a long-term impact to the residents of this city.”
A $200,000 mayoral relief fund has been established to help communities in the Nelson and Tasman area.
“There are people that have been displaced from their homes, there is damage to property, there is damage to many areas of this city that this relief fund can assist with,” McAnulty said.
Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese said the damage from the wild weather was devastating and it would take years for the city to recover.
“It’s going to be a long haul; I think we needed to prepare ourselves for that now … We have got damage throughout the city and … we’ve got damage to people’s homes and homes that are likely to be uninhabitable and that is going to be a challenging scenario for many families.
“[The] recovery, in my view … it’s not going to be over a matter of months, it’s going to be over years.”
Reese said she was concerned about the degree of instability in the hillsides and there was the potential for more slips, flooding and evacuations.
She said the degree of increase in the flow of the Maitai River today was something she had never seen before.
“It really did build very quickly … the velocity of water that has moved from some of these spaces is just incredible.”
Meanwhile, parts of the Far North were all but cut off today after slips in the Mangamuka Gorge blocked SH1, and flooding made the alternative SH10 impassable at Kāeo.
An elderly Kaitāia woman was rescued from her property by a Surf Rescue IRB earlier today when floodwaters cut her off. Ahipara Surf Rescue Club Captain Tony Walker said crew members were called to Kaitāia south today after a 75-year-old lady was trapped in her home due to rising floodwaters.
In Auckland, wild winds and heavy rain pummelled the city, ripping a yacht from its mooring. It sank after smashing on rocks in Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour.
