Mop up operations begin in Gore

Thursday, 6 February 2020

Mataura appears to be the worst hit in the Southland floods, with up to 30 houses flooded as Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks calls it a critical area.

Residents of the small town were allowed to go home at 6pm on Thursday, and State Highway 1 through Mataura was reopened. 

However, it was expected that some houses may have been rendered uninhabitable by the flood waters. 

Some properties could be without water, a flushing toilet, or could have excessive dampness which could lead to respiratory issues, Civil Defence Southland advises. 

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To assist the worst-affected residents, a community support centre had been set up in the Mataura Community Centre. 

Council staff, as well as people from Emergency Management Southland would be at the centre to offer help.

There would also be basic necessities available, port-a-loos, and a water tanker from 8pm on Thursday. 

The worst hit houses for flooding in Gore were in Ontario and Toronto streets.

The council has hired pumps and was relying heavily on contractors and resources from the public to get water away so people can return to their homes.

Council regulatory and planning general manager Dr Ian Davidson-Watts said resources were not the main challenge -  it was people on the ground. 

Southland doesn't have a lot of people and there simply isn't capacity to do things faster, he said. 

Fire and Emergency Services arrived in Mataura on Thursday morning to asses the area. 

'We needed to learn what the situation was,' Davidson-Watts said.

They were followed by Water Services who checked industrial areas for water contamination. 

The district's three building inspectors arrived in Mataura on Thursday afternoon, after completing assessments around Ontario and Toronto streets in Gore. 

Davidson-Watts said he thought the team on the ground were doing a good job, given the circumstances.

Response efforts had been focused on people, he said, and the full extent of mop up operations would still need to be determined. 

'Every minute that goes past, we're getting more confident that we can get people in tonight,' Davidson-Watts said.

The emergency situation in Mataura was being managed from Invercargill but responsibility was transferred to the Gore District Council because it was closer, Hicks said. 

A water boil notice will remain in place in Mataura as a precautionary measure, Davidson-Watts said.

Water pumps had been moved from Gore to Mataura to help move things along.