Many Westport residents told to evacuate due to flooding threat

Authorities have ordered some Westport residents to evacuate their homes with fears that forecast heavy rain will lead to flooding.

About 158 houses have been evacuated so far according to Buller Emergency Management.

Buller District Mayor Jamie Cleine said a decision had been made to "safeguard people’s lives" based on the "best available information".

People ordered to evacuate should leave immediately, if possible, and should be prepared to be away from home for three days, Cleine said.

He also warned "the rest of town" that authorities could not rule out extensions to the area included in the evacuation order.

Cleine said any flood waters would be expected to arrive on Saturday morning at around 2am.

The mayor said another review of evacuation orders would happen around 3pm on Friday and that further orders could be announced if conditions worsen.

He acknowledged that the situation would be "extremely traumatising" for residents who had already experienced flooding last July.

Residents have been instructed to seek shelter with friends and family on high ground. An emergency alert was also sent to all phones in the relevant area warning of "significant flooding".

Cleine said people who were outside of the evacuation order should still evacuate if they felt unsafe.

At 1pm on Friday, further areas were added to the compulsory evacuation list. A map of these locations can be found on the West Coast Civil Defence Emergency Website.

According to Buller Emergency Management on Facebook, the evacuation area in Westport also includes Snodgrass Rd, Coates St, Derby Street between Cobden and the beach, Roebuck St, Menzies St, The Airport, Colvin Street, Kawatiri Place, the Martins Creek area and the Marrs Beach area.

Cleine said the area being ordered to evacuate was similar to last July’s flood. He said emergency services and volunteers will be going door-to-door to assist in the mandatory evacuations.

Residents who need help to evacuate have been told to call the Buller Emergency Operations Centre at 0800 234 533.

"For residents that cannot be accommodated with friends or family there will be emergency accommodation available at the former Holcim Cement Works site at Cape Foulwind. This site will offer basic facilities that prioritise shelter, food, basic health care and sanitation only.

"You will need to take your grab bags; personal medications, water, food, sleeping bags, bedding, blankets, warm clothes and remember to make provisions for your pets where possible. Take food so you can self contain for at least for 24 hours. Be prepared to sleep in your vehicles,” Buller Emergency Management said.

The emergency accommodation site is at 901 Cape Foulwind Road.

Speaking at a press conference in Auckland, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the New Zealand Defence Force are “already on route with the capabilities that you’d usually expect in these circumstances, to provide additional support to our National Emergency Management team on the ground.

“We are at the moment expecting the weather down there is likely to mirror a similar event in 2012. We are closely monitoring the situation.”