Woman named after being killed in West Coast floodwaters as scale of destruction unfolds

Wednesday, 27 March 2019

The woman killed after being swept away in surging floodwaters in the Arahura Valley has been named by police. 

She was Gloria Reardon-Hirst, 66, of Arahura Valley.

Senior Sergeant Peter Payne said initial inquiries suggested the woman got out of her vehicle on Arahura Valley Rd and tried to cross the floodwaters on foot.

She was then swept away in the strong-flowing current of surface flooding. Her body was recovered by police about 9.20am on Wednesday.

**READ MORE:

* Body found washed up in West Coast valley after flooding

* Torrential rain causes chaos on the West Coast

* Live: Emergency declared as massive deluges hit West Coast, with more to come

* Hokitika family's home flooded for a third time in four years**

Her death has been referred to the coroner.

Blue Spur Farmstay co-owner Garth Bloomfield said Reardon-Hirst's death was 'very raw' and a 'shock' for the tight-knit Arahura Valley community.

'It's a bit of a shock, we thought we got off scot-free but we didn't.

'It's horrible losing one of our own to a storm event. It's a sobering thought [because] that could've been any one of us.'

He said Reardon-Hirst, who lived 'just down the road and around the corner', was a sociable neighbour who always gave him a smile and a wave when passing.

A state of emergency was declared for the Westland district on Tuesday evening after a day of torrential rain that destroyed the bridge across the Waiho River near Franz Josef on State Highway 6. Hours of battering from torrential flood waters carrying large amounts of rock and material downstream had impacted the bridge's support piers.

The state of emergency remained in place on Wednesday and Civil Defence Minister Kris Faafoi was visiting various places in Westland throughout the day. 

Arthurs Pass, the major road which links Canterbury to the West Coast, was reopened after being closed because of major flooding. 

An NZTA spokeswoman said the road was reopened but down to one lane in several locations, shortly after 3.15pm. 

'Expect delays of up to 15 minutes during remedial works. Plan your journey accordingly.'

Christchurch Operations Centre (CTOC) spokeswoman Janine Porter said State Highway 73 between Arthurs Pass and Jacksons had also reopened after a slip at Candys Creek was cleared. 

'The road is fully open in both directions,' she said. 

Hokitika fire chief Harry Collett said a rural resident at Lake Kaniere, near Hokitika, was suspected to have broken their leg while crossing the Upper Styx River Bridge.

'He was a farmer who was riding his farm bike to get some cows in and the bridge abutment washed out as he was going over it. He took a nose dive into the river,' he said. 

The man's family were nearby and were able to call emergency services. 

Roads to the area were flooded and the rescue helicopter was unable to fly due to the bad weather, so emergency crews travelled across the lake by boat to reach him. 

FLOODING IN HOKITIKA

West Coast mayor Bruce Smith said the stormwater system 'couldn't cope' with a particularly large downpour about 2am. 

The magnitude of the event was 'incredible'.

'I have never seen one so widespread. To get all the rivers from Haast to Hokitika all in flood at the same time, I've never known that.'

It was unusual to have a big northwesterly storm in March too.

'All the laws have been broken,' Smith said.

Plans had been made in case parts of Hokitika township needed to be evacuated overnight, but the Hokitika River started to drop by high tide.

Two properties on the corner of Weld and Hoffman streets in Hokitika were flooded though. 

A firefighter helping pump water out the street warned residents they should not wade through the water as it could be contaminated with sewage.

A Hoffman St resident said the street had flooded numerous times in recent years. All of the residents wanted the district council to fix the stormwater pipes and pumps to help prevent future flooding in the low-lying street. 

A Community Information Centre to help displaced people had been set up in the Hokitika iSite, on the corner of Weld St and Railway Tce.

Seven people had been displaced from their properties in Waitoto, near Haast, and a welfare centre had opened in Haast. Accommodation was organised for others in need.

ROADS STILL CLOSED, TRAIN SERVICES SUSPENDED

In the 24 hours to 5am, Hokitika and Franz Josef had both had about 160 millimetres of rain, while inland in the ranges totals were probably closer to 300mm to 400mm. 

Hokitika had a couple of particular intense hours overnight, with 20mm to 25mm falling from 9pm to 10pm and from 1am to 2am.

Several roads affected by the heavy rain reopened on Wednesday afternoon, although just to one lane in places.

People could now drive south of Fox Glacier to Haast and Otago, and north of Franz Josef to Greymouth.

State Highway 6 would remain closed at the Waiho River, between Franz Josef and Fox Glacier, until the bridge was replaced.

NZ Transport Agency system manager Pete Connors said it was hoped the new Bailey bridge would be ready in the next week to 10 days. 

State Highway 6 was closed north of Greymouth, near Barrytown, due to a fallen tree on Wednesday morning, but reopened about 11am.

State Highway 73 between Otira and Kumara Junction, which was previously closed because of surface flooding was reopened shortly after 2.30pm. 

A warning was in place for State Highway 94 from Te Anau to Milford Sound due to heavy rain and surface water.

In Otago, Glenorchy-Paradise Rd remained closed on Wednesday, but crews were working to clear it as soon as possible. 

Wanaka-Mt Aspiring Rd was also still closed, but Kinloch Rd had reopened. 

The Queenstown Lakes District Council urged drivers to take care and keep their speeds down.

KiwiRail suspended freight services to the West Coast and cancelled its TranzAlpine passenger train between Christchurch and Greymouth. 

South Island general manager operations Jeanine Benson said the freight trips were suspended while the track was being inspected.

She said customers on Tuesday and Wednesday's TranzAlpine trips had been advised of the cancellations and offered the option of booking alternate travel dates or receiving a refund.

'We regret the inconvenience to our customers. We are always striving to deliver the best possible service, but safety is paramount.'

MILK PRODUCTS STILL FLOWING

A handful of dairy farms supplying Westland Milk Products have been cut off by the storm, but have not had to dump any milk yet.

Chief executive Toni Brendish said parts of the factory in Hokitika had been flooded but the company was still collecting and processing milk.

'However, the flooding does mean we are currently not processing through two of our milk powder dryers.'

Brendish said they did not believe any farmers would have to dispose of milk at this stage, but it was a rapidly changing situation.

Communications manager Steve Attwood said fewer than 10 of Westland Milk's farms were currently cut off from the factory. About five were south of the Waihola Bridge near Franz Josef, which was destroyed by floodwater on Tuesday.

He expected the company would be able to get tankers into South Westland via Haast Pass on Thursday, which would relieve the pressure on farmers in those areas.

'The situation in other areas remains volatile as it's not just flooding-caused road closures we have to take into account. Access is not possible on a few farms simply because flooding has taken our on-farm roads and tankers in a few cases.'

Milk from Canterbury farms was usually sent by train from Rolleston to the Hokitika factory, with processed products sent the other way. Trucks were transporting the products via the Lewis Pass (State Highway 7) while the railway line was closed.

Attwood said the company was using 'well-proven, well-established contingency plans'.

'This is a well rehearsed process that we have, we've had this before.'

STORM 'DEVASTATING' FOR TOURISM

Tourism companies in Fox and Franz Josef face an 'economically massive' impact from this week's storm.

Glacier Country Tourism Group chairman Ashley Cassin said some businesses with power had been able to remain open, while others, including some that offered outdoor activities, were unable to operate.

'It's devastating for some businesses.'

Those that were open were quiet because the road closures prevented anyone new from getting into the area.

'Everyone who's got skin in the tourism game is going to see reduced numbers. [The] tourism season's not over yet, so I guess [it's] economically massive.'

Cassin said getting the road between Hokitika and Franz Josef reopened would be the 'really big first step' because tourists would then be able to travel down, and supplies and recovery aid could come in.

The Waiho Bridge was destroyed on Tuesday, meaning the town had lost a 'significant link' through to the south.

The area did not get many Kiwi tourists through the winter, so losing customers now meant it was 'pretty big for that trying time to be extended'.

Air Safaris chief executive Richard Rayward, who operates from the Franz Josef and Tekapo airports, said flood water from the nearby Waiho River had engulfed the Franz Josef aerodrome causing widespread damage.

He said an initial assessment of the damage from someone on the ground suggested a significant amount of water and silt had damaged two hangers, a fuel instillation and a terminal building. The full extent of the damage and the associated costs would not be known until the weather had subsided, Rayward said.

'The initial damage doesn't look as bad as first feared but that's under a preliminary look.

'We're intending to get a helicopter and fly by their tomorrow morning to have a good look on the ground.'

Rayward said his main concern going forward would be what effect the damage will have on the Franz Josef runway and what effect the flooding will have on the long term path of the river.

'It's quite a devastating blow for our Franz Josef base. Right now we'll have to go on hold and we'll have to wait for the water to recede to properly assess the damage.

'At the moment we're at the mercy of the repairs on the highway as we won't have any visitors if there's no highway,' he said.

STORM 'EXTREMELY VIOLENT'

West Coast Civil Defence said fibre and phone lines south of Franz Josef had been severely disrupted. Chorus staff were working to restore vital communications. 

Power outages had been reported in Awatuna, Kahihinu and Kokatahi, near Hokitika.

Power was also out to about two thirds of Haast after the heavy rain caused 'many thousands of cubic metres of debris' to block and damage the town's hydro power intake. 

NZ Energy operations manager David Inch said Haast had its own power supply, which was not connected to the national grid. 

The access road to the river intake had also been washed out, so workers were not able to get up there to fix the damage yet. 

The main accommodation providers in the area had their own generators and NZ Energy was running a small diesel generator to provide power to some affected homes. 

Inch was unsure how long it would take to restore power. 

He was able to see the 'extraordinary weather event' unfold on a camera set up at the hydro scheme, which was located in the Southern Alps about 30 kilometres from Haast.

'It was extremely violent. You just wouldn't want to be up near the river at that point.'

Inch said another significant weather event was forecast in a few days. He hoped the power supply could be fixed before it hit and caused more damage.

MOST SCHOOLS OPEN, BUT BUSES CANCELLED

Ritchies Bus Service suspended all bus services on Wednesday across the entire West Coast. Residents were asked to contact their local school to confirm whether or not they were open.

South Westland Area School was closed on Tuesday and remained closed on Wednesday. 

Principal Mark Caplen said the heavy rain and road closures meant no buses could run. 

'Weather permitting the school will be open as normal on Thursday.'

Haast School was open, as were Westland and Greymouth high schools, but several planned trips had been cancelled. 

Westland High School and Hokitika Primary School said some students were not able to get to school due to bus services being cancelled.

In the Grey District, surface flooding on McLeans Pit Rd meant McLeans Pit Landfill and Recycling Centre was closed until further notice.

Residents should also expect delays in Wednesday's rubbish collection.  

The West Coast Wilderness Trail was also damaged by the deluge. 

The bridge below Cowboy Paradise was destroyed, making the trail impassable between Lake Kaniere and Cowboy Paradise.

Contractors would assess the track on Wednesday and riders were asked to stay out of the area until the assessment was finished.

The 139-kilometre cycle trail is part of the 22 routes on the New Zealand Cycle Trail network and traverses mostly off-road tracks between Greymouth and Ross. 

It is marketed as a four-day cycling adventure through rain forests and farmland and passing waterways. 

RAINFALL RECORD REACHED

New Zealand's wettest monitored location has set an astonishing new record during this week's West Coast deluge.

The particularly pluvial Cropp River at Waterfall site inland from Hokitika recorded 1086mm in 48 hours during the extreme northwesterly rainstorm.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) said this was New Zealand's highest 48-hour total since records began there in 1982.

Cropp River's previous highest two-day fall was 1062mm in 2013.

Niwa climate scientist Nava Fedaeff✓ said it was likely even more rain had fallen elsewhere in the Southern Alps.

'We just can't measure everywhere,' she said.