Hundreds evacuated in Nelson, more rain for West Coast

WEATHER LATEST:• More than 200 homes in Nelson evacuated after Maitai River burst its banks• Nelson Tasman Civil Defence urges residents near the river from the Nile St Bridge to the Golf Course to evacuate immediately• Search and rescue teams helping people in flooded streets and suburbs, as NZDF patrol streets• The closure of State Highway 6 due to flooding means there's no direct link between Blenheim and Nelson• Nelson mayor describes it as a 'one-in-100-year event'.• More rain is expected, with Nelson, Buller and Westland under a heavy rain warning until tonight

More than 200 homes have been evacuated and a state of emergency declared in Nelson after rain and flooding caused by a severe "atmospheric river" weather event.

And there appears to be little respite for residents today, with more heavy rain and red weather warnings for Nelson, Buller and Westland. Aucklanders have also woken to heavy rain this morning, and orange warnings are in place for the region and Northland.

A state of emergency was declared in Nelson yesterday as residents were told to evacuate their homes immediately after the Maitai River breached its banks.

The area experienced a month's worth of rainfall in just 15 hours, causing major flooding and slips. Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese described the flood as a "one-in-100-year event".

About 223 homes were evacuated in parts of Nelson, while video footage showed floodwaters beginning to encroach on the town centre.

Westport, Seddonville and Mokihinui residents were also warned the Buller River could peak this morning.

Nelson resident Sam Lagrutta told The New Zealand Herald of the moment police officers were telling him and his sister they had just five minutes to evacuate and get to safety.

"I was running up the hill to grab a water pump, thinking I just needed to empty the front yard, and when I got to the bottom of the hill, police were there saying you have five minutes to get out.

"I literally just grabbed a carry-on bag and filled it with my passport, wallet, and anything important I could find."

Unfortunately, Lagrutta said the only important thing he couldn't locate were his cats, which he hoped were okay as he watched on from the hill, as the Maitai River's swollen water made its way up Mill St street towards his house.

He said that originally, evacuees could not leave the area due to slips and bridge closures.

"They told us to leave when we could, we all had to go up the hill because there was a slip on one exit and they had closed the bridge that was the other exit. "There was no way to get out of the area."

He described the situation as "frightening" and a "bit out of control".

He is yet to hear from authorities about when he might be allowed back into his home - today's heavy rain forecast does not bode well.

Nelson Tasman Civil Defence is urging anyone who lives near the river from the Nile St Bridge to the Waahi Taakaro Golf Club to evacuate.

"Stay with friends and family if you are able," the advice read. "If you have no safe place to go, head to the Saxton Stadium. Take pets, essential medications and warm clothing."

One elderly couple had to be rescued by Landsar from their residence on the Riverside. Rescue crews had to use a dinghy in order to reach the couple.

NZ Defence Force personnel have been patrolling evacuated areas overnight to keep an eye on properties.

Buller rivers dropping 

In a Facebook post this morning, Buller emergency management the Buller river levels are going down and surface flooding seems to have reduced.

Te Kuha hit its first alarm in the early hours of the morning but it is decreasing. Karamea and Mokihinui levels were also dropping.

"While this is great news, we won't be dropping our watch, we know there is more weather coming and a lot more water to come down from our huge catchment area.

"High tide this afternoon will be one of the considerations before we give the message for anyone who has evacuated to return home."

Yesterday Westport residents in Forbes, Coates and Gladstone streets were encouraged to evacuate, based on updated forecasts and modelling.

"The Buller River is likely to peak in Westport  (on Thursday). As well, the tide will be slightly higher than it was in February,"  Buller emergency management said.

Weather warnings

MetService said its highest red warnings are for heavy rainfall for Buller, the Nelson region and Westland.

Meteorologist Ashlee Parkes said the heavy rain was expected to last until Friday. "There might be a slight easing overnight, but it won't be much."

Over the next 24 hours, the Nelson region is expected to see a further 400mm of rain on top of what has already fallen, which is over double the monthly average.

However, any respite for the region might be fleeting as more heavy rain is forecast for the weekend.

"We can't say with certainty if it will be better or worse than today's rain, but they will receive another good dumping," Parkes said.

The static atmospheric river which sits across the entire west side of New Zealand is the cause of the severe weather event.

The ranges northwest of Tasman had last night recorded 350mm, while 100mm had fallen at Rai Valley in Marlborough, 230mm at Franz Josef on the West Coast and 125mm at Hokitika.

- NZ Herald and ODT Online