Tasman - Severe weather warnings in place Buller - State of emergency SH6 Closed

Tasman - current water restrictions remain in place

The Met Service are right the heavy rain has arrived. The Tasman District Council has issued a severe weather warning, the Buller District Council have issued a state of emergency and SH6 on the west coast is closed.

Tasman

Tasman District Council advise that campers must avoid low-lying areas near waterways, particularly in Golden Bay, as forecast heavy rain may cause rivers and streams to rise rapidly.

“Campers should be aware of low-lying sites that can potentially become flooded, and were advised to avoid activities near river banks during this period, especially in Golden Bay.”

In a statement, Tasman District Council also urged “residents to make sure drains are clear of debris and stock are moved away from river flats immediately.”

The advice comes after MetService on Wednesday updated and extended an orange heavy rain warning issued on Tuesday for Tasman District, west of Motueka.

An extended period of heavy rain is now forecast from 2pm on Wednesday to 11pm on Friday.

The Tasman area west of Motueka can expect 300 to 450mm of rain to accumulate about the ranges, and 100 and 150mm near the coast, with peak rates around 30mm/hr.

There is also a weather warning for the Richmond Ranges and Bryant Ranges from 6:00 pm Wednesday to 11:00 pm Friday. The heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous.

The Aorere catchment is likely to be most affected during this event with moderate to high flood levels expected based on the current forecast rainfall. The rest of Golden Bay will also experience rising river levels, but to a lesser extent.

Buller

In the mean time a local state of emergency for the Buller District has been declared this afternoon as West Coast residents batten down the hatches and prepare to evacuate as torrential rain begins to hammer the region.

MetService has declared a red warning for Westland and Buller - with the potential for hundreds of millimetres to drop over 48 hours.

A large-scale response is kicking into gear, with West Coast Emergency Management setting up centres in Greymouth, Hokitika and Westport.

Mayor Jamie Cliene made the Buller District declaration at 2.35pm today, which allows Civil Defence controllers to direct and co-ordinate personnel, material and other resources made available and provides access to extraordinary powers to deliver an effective and timely response to an emergency.

The current weather event has the potential to cause serious flooding to parts of the Buller District.

"Members of the public are reminded to prepare getaway bags in preparation for potential evacuations tomorrow," the council says.

"If anyone is feeling unsafe, please self-evacuate to friends or family on higher ground.”

Health authorities are preparing to evacuate nearly 70 residents from the O'Conor Rest Home.

Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has been stood up in Westport with local and national agencies supporting the district.

Controller Bob Dickson says: “The EOC is fully staffed and current forecasting and modelling shows we could have an event similar to the Westport floods in July 2021.”

“We have mobilised resources, activated our local partner agencies, and flood preparations in Westport are underway.”

“Residents are encouraged to self evacuate to friends or families on higher ground or out of district, included in our preparations are plans for mandatory evacuations”

Evacuation Centres across the district and in Greymouth are being activated and more information will follow.

People are advised to take bedding, water, food, medication, warm clothes and to remember their pets.

The 3,000 sandbags from this morning have been distributed, there are another 20,000 expected to be delivered at 3pm to the same locations – the Kawatiri Coastal Trail by the Buller Bridge. “We will post an update once the additional supply arrives.”

“We know this is a very stressful time for Buller residents but we have proven it once – if we stick together as a community we can get through this together.”

“Residents must be prepared to evacuate at any time over the next few days and to assist those who may need help.”

For more information and to keep up to date go to Buller Emergency Management Facebook page and listen to Coast FM.

Members of the public are reminded to prepare getaway bags in preparation for potential evacuations tomorrow.

Check on your neighbours and help anyone who might need assistance.

Follow all instructions issued by emergency response personnel.

If life is in danger call 111.
Stay off the roads and avoid flooded areas.

Mayor Cleine says “the safety of people is the main priority and it’s essential to follow all instructions given by authorised personnel.”

The EOC has staff ready to take enquiries on 03 789 7999.

Wednesday Evening

State Highway 6 has been closed this evening by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

Heavy rainfall in South Westland has closed SH6 early this evening between Makarora and Fox Glacier, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

The situation will be reviewed at midday, Thursday, 3 February.

“Waterfalls in the Haast Valley are affecting the highway,” says Moira Whinham, Maintenance Contract Manager for Waka Kotahi on the West Coast.

“Water is across the road at the Mahi Tahi River south of Bruce Bay, as well as reports of high flows at Douglas Creek, and Kaka Creek.

“Damage assessments will start at first light, subject to river levels dropping.”

View the West Coast traffic updates here: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/regions/12

Elsewhere on SH6 there is surface flooding on low-lying areas of highway and people are advised to avoid travel in these areas if possible.

• West Coast Emergency Management: https://westcoastemergency.govt.nz/

• Emergency Management advice https://getthru.govt.nz/

• Buller Emergency Management: https://www.facebook.com/BullerCD/

Buller Emergency Management Ph 03 789 7999

Westport road closure

WestReef have temporary closed Lyndhurst Street from Hunter Streets to Domett Streets due to surface flooding. 

The road closure will be in place overnight to stop cars driving through the surface water creating bow waves.

Please attribute to Philip Wheble, Incident Controller – West Coast DHB

West Coast DHB continues to prepare for and monitor the expected impact of the current severe weather event occurring on the West Coast.

Today, our staff have been checking in on community-based patients to ensure that everyone has medication and go-bags on hand in the event they need to evacuate.

In South Westland, health care services remain open and our staff are on stand-by to respond as required. If you need to travel for any reason, please ensure that you check the road conditions prior to departing.

In Buller, the majority of residents at O’Conor Rest Home have been evacuated today to alternative accommodation – some have gone to stay with family, a handful to a facility in Nelson-Marlborough, some down to Te Nikau in Greymouth and the majority are now on their way to Christchurch. We have some residents still at O’Conor Rest Home who will be evacuated tomorrow.

Our team involved in arranging these transfers have done an exceptional job in a very short timeframe. The outcome is reflective of how well our health system partners work together during a Civil Defence emergency.

We continue to work through our options for the provision of urgent care services in Buller. At this stage, we are looking to set up two sites in Westport – one on the southern side of the Buller River and a northern site.

We will provide further information regarding on-going access to health care once details have been confirmed.

In the meantime, Buller Medical is open and seeing patients. If you live north of Westport, our rural nurse specialists are available so please continue to access your rural health clinics if you need to. Reefton Health is open for business as usual.

Buller Health’s Foote Ward team is ready to relocate as and when required. While roads remain open and it is safe to do so, anyone requiring hospital level care will be transferred to Greymouth or to another facility depending on their clinical requirements.

DHB staff have also been undertaking a number of steps to minimise any potential flood damage. To-date, the team have relocated the DHB pool vehicles to higher ground on to the new Buller Health facility building site as well as preparing to sandbag doorways and where possible securing the infrastructure tunnels.

Accessing health care

Remember, if you need health advice, please call Healthline on 0800 611 116 – calls are answered 24/7. If you need to be seen, they will tell you what to do and where to go.

If it’s an emergency, call 111 as per usual
For wellbeing support you can talk to a counsellor free of charge, call or text 1737 any time of the day or night.
For pregnancy support and advice over the phone, please call your LMC/midwife.
You can also visit our HealthInfo website for trusted health advice on a range of issues.
If you require essential prescription medications and your supply is running low, call your usual GP number for advice – Find a GP, medical practice, clinic or health centre | West Coast DHB (wcdhb.health.nz)
Buller Pharmacy in Westport, at 168 Palmerston Street is open for over the counter medications and health advice.

Meals on wheels

Our Buller-based WellFood team are continuing to provide the Meals on Wheels service along with our valued Red Cross volunteers who continue to deliver to recipients in the community.

Surgical appointments

Surgical appointments booked for tomorrow (Thursday) at Te Nikau Hospital have been postponed until another date.

COVID-19 vaccination clinics

The Westport vaccination clinic has been closed as the safety of our staff and community is an integral part of our planning for this weather event. While we appreciate that this decision may be inconvenient, our focus at this time is ensuring that we are well prepared for the expected flooding.

The Reefton vaccination clinic is set to go ahead tomorrow (Thursday) from 11am – 3pm at the Reefton Community Hall.

On Friday (04/02/2022), we have clinics in Hokitika and Greymouth which are both open from 10am – 4pm.

On Saturday (05/02/2022), our Greymouth vaccination drive-through clinic at the Greymouth Aerodrome will be open from 10am to 6pm. Please note, that due to the weather event, we will no longer be holding a drive-through clinic on Friday, however you can attend the Greymouth clinic located on the Te Nikau campus instead.

While we are vaccinating 5-11-year olds as well as people 12 years and over, we recommend that bookings are made so that people are not kept waiting. Drop-ins are limited due to the additional time it takes to vaccinate children as fewer people can be vaccinated at each clinic.

You can book online for clinics at www.BookMyVaccine.nz or call 0800 28 29 26.

Clinic details are available on our vaccination website – Home – Vaccinate Canterbury and West Coast (vaccinatecanterburywestcoast.nz)

Keep up your good hygiene habits and remember to scan in wherever you are

Now’s also a really good time to ensure that when you are out and about you wear a mask especially indoors, scan in everywhere you go, and show your COVID-19 vaccine pass when you need to. Keeping a good record of where you have been makes the job of contact tracers so much easier.

If you develop any COVID-19 symptoms, please arrange to get tested immediately and remain isolated at home or in the accommodation you are staying in. This advice extends to anyone even if they haven’t visited any of the locations of interest. If you’re not sure what you should do, please call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice.

Be prepared

Check and restock your emergency kit and follow the advice of your local Civil Defence group.

To check what you may need, visit https://getready.govt.nz/prepared/household/supplies/

Here is a link with flood-specific advice: https://getready.govt.nz/emergency/floods/

Stay up-to-date

For the latest updates, ‘like’ your local District Council’s Facebook page, or check the latest news on their website:

Buller District Council https://bullerdc.govt.nz/
Greymouth District Council https://www.greydc.govt.nz/
Westland District Council https://www.westlanddc.govt.nz/

Weather conditions

To get the most up to date information on severe weather around the country, or any other forecasts, see metservice.comor download the MetService mobile app.

Road conditions