Two states of local emergency have been declared across the Manawatū-Whanganui region after heavy rain caused flooding and slips overnight, with Whanganui now bracing for forecast flooding from surging river levels.
Whanganui mayor Andrew Tripe declared a state of local emergency for the Whanganui District at 6.57am on Sunday, hours after a similar declaration was made in Ōhura.
Ruapehu District Council declared the emergency at 3.21am after the Ōhura River hit very high levels, with stormwater and drainage systems at capacity.
An emergency mobile alert was sent to Ōhura residents early in the morning, telling them to prepare to evacuate on their own accord. Six residents had left their homes, with the Ōhura Memorial Hall opened as a Civil Defence Centre.
About 100mm of rain had fallen in the Ruapehu District in the past 24 hours, with a heavy rain warning still in place.
The rain fell in the upper catchment of the Whanganui River, and that water is now flowing downstream toward Whanganui township.
More than two dozen homes were evacuated and key state highways were closed for a period. (Source: 1News)
Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence said river level modelling from Horizons Regional Council indicated flood protection assets would need to be deployed in Whanganui township.
High tide is due at 11.04am, which will also affect river levels.
Horizons had a team prepared to deploy at 7am to put flood protection infrastructure in place if needed. The New Zealand Defence Force had also deployed assets to Whanganui, while Red Cross and NZRT4 were deploying to Ruapehu to assist.
Civil Defence said heavy rain had caused slips and flooding throughout the region overnight, but a full picture of the damage would only become clear once daylight allowed assessments to be carried out. Roads were expected to be closed.
The severe weather extends beyond Manawatū-Whanganui.
MetService has an orange heavy rain warning in place for the eastern Bay of Plenty, with 80 to 110mm of rain expected east of the Whakatane River between 6am and 4pm.
Heavy rain watches also cover parts of Auckland, Gisborne and South Canterbury, with a moderate chance of those being upgraded to warnings.
The forecaster said a front followed by several active troughs was driving the unsettled conditions. MetService is scheduled to update its warnings at 10am.
Civil Defence urged people in the Manawatū-Whanganui region to take care, avoid floodwater and follow instructions from local authorities and emergency services.
In Wellington yesterday morning, heavy rainfall triggered flash flooding across parts of the region, forcing sections of several state highways to close and more than two dozen homes to be evacuated.
Wellington Region Emergency Management said 25 homes in Stokes Valley and one home in Porirua had been evacuated.
Residents in Stokes Valley described a sudden and intense downpour around 9am, with water levels rising within minutes as drains and manholes failed under pressure. In multiple streets, stormwater burst through manhole covers and cracked concrete, sending muddy water through driveways, garages and backyards.
State Highway 58 remained closed to traffic this morning due to localised flooding, but NZTA said the route was expected to reopen before 10am.
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