Source: Radio New Zealand
Flooded Ruamāhanga River on Tuesday looking down on the South Wairarapa. Mike Laven
Five homes have been evacuated in Gladstone near Carterton due to rising river levels.
The homes, on Gladstone Road, were not far from the Tauweru River, an emergency operations spokesperson said.
The residents will stay either with friends or family, or a welfare team will support them into accommodation, the spokesperon said.
It comes as the state of emergency had lifted for other parts of the Wellington region.
It’s now ended in Upper Hutt, Porirua City and the Kāpiti Coast, but is still in place for all other parts of the Wellington region, including all of Wairarapa.
According to Wellington Region Emergency Management it will remain in place while damage, needs, building safety, and recovery assessments continue.
Meanwhile, a campground in the Tararua district was preparing to possibly self-evacuate, with the council saying Wainui River levels are “very high.”
The district was still under a heavy rain warning until midnight.
Herbertville Campground manager Chris Cawsey said he was up all last night in case he and the six people staying at the site needed to leave.
“The flood alert alarm sounded at about 1am this morning and that’s when it hit five and a half metres. At six and a half metres it’s bursting its banks, but we’re pretty much sitting at the vege of that now.”
Cawsey said Cyclone Gabrielle was an eyeopener and they also experienced some flooding at the camp about seven or eight weeks ago.
“It’s all in the back of our mind, we don’t want to get trapped here, we don’t want to get flooded, we don’t want to wake up in the morning or through the night to a wet bed!”
Tararua Mayor Scott Gilmore said the council is in constant communication with the campsite.
He urged people in the district to remain vigilant.
Meanwhile, Ākitio has received 206mm of rain in the last 24 hours.
Earlier, the council said the community is currently isolated as Coast Road and River Road are both closed from slips and flooding.
Gilmore said there has since been some four-wheel drive access for emergency vehicles restored.
A total of eight roads across the district are closed due to slips, flooding and fallen trees – another four roads are reduced to single lane.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
