Heavy rain closes roads in Christchurch, causes flooding

Friday, 5 January 2018

Wayne Rissman has protected his Opawa property against flooding.

Heavy rain has caused surface flooding and closed roads in Christchurch.

Forecast downpours started overnight and parts of the Heathcote and Avon rivers overflowed on Friday morning.

Christchurch City Council city service general manager David Adamson said pumps had been activated across the city to counteract the heavy rain and high tide at 8am.

Flooded walkway, Ford Road, where the Heathcote River has overflowed.

'We've had some reports of surface flooding on roads alongside the Heathcote and Avon rivers, however we do not expect any flooding of properties at floor levels.

'With high tide at 8am and the forecast for the rest of the day for steady rain, we don't expect things to get any worse.'

Wayne Rissman has built barricades against floodwaters at his rental property in Ford Rd, Opawa, where the Heathcote River has overflowed.

New Brighton Rd is closed due to flooding, while there is surface flooding on Fitzgerald Ave and Rockinghorse Rd between Godwit and Heron streets, he said.

Systems in place to ease water levels in flood-prone Flockton were working well, he said. Six pumps in the basin were turned on at 3am and one at Maces Rd was also operating but struggling to keep up with the volume of water.

A State Highway 1 closed sign near the State Highway 7 turnoff. The road to Kaikoura remained closed this morning after heavy rain caused flooding and slips.

Others pumps were operating in Southshore and on Main South Rd and Slater St in Richmond.

Wayne Rissman's rental property in Ford Rd, Opawa had been flooded by the Heathcote River waters. He said about 12 centimetres of water had filled the garage. He used sandbags and a special gate to stop the water reaching the house.

'We have had five floods in the last four years. Two of them reached the house,' he said.

Clarendon Tce resident Vicki Morris-Williamson said her street was flooded by the overflowing Heathcote. It was one of several along the banks of the river that had been inundated repeatedly in recent years.

'It is right over the road and way down the street,' she said.

'It is going to get quite high, I think. It shouldn't be flooding like this. It shouldn't be this bad.'

MetService meteorologist April Clark said 20.8mm of rain had fallen in Christchurch from early morning until about 10.30am. She said the rain was forecast to ease off on Friday evening with showers on Saturday.

About 28.8mm of rain had fallen in Kaikoura from late Thursday night until about 10.30am.

NZ Transport Agency journey manager Tresca Forrester said State Highway 1 on either side of Kaikoura was closed this morning due to surface flooding and small landslips.

Forrester said drivers should take the alternative Lewis Pass route. She said a coastal weather station just north of Clarence run by Environment Canterbury had recorded 76mm of rain from midnight to Friday morning.