Rai Valley home carried down hill and on to road by landslide
Saturday, 20 August 2022
A household in Rai Valley had to quickly evacuate early on Saturday morning when their home started moving off its foundations.
Nicole Macdonald said her nana and a friend escaped their rental in the nick of time when they felt movement about 3.30am on Saturday.
“After another heavy night of 175 millimetres of rain, my nana's property she was renting was swept off the foundations,” Macdonald said.
A mudslide pushed the house from its foundations, causing it to slide several metres down the hill and onto the road.
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They were able to seek shelter at a neighbour’s home, with other Ronga Valley residents that were sheltering from the flooding, Macdonald said.
“The flooding over the last few days in the Marlborough Tasman region has been devastating.”
She started a Givealittle page to help her nana and friend replace some belongings and find a new place to live.
“They have lost everything and though we are absolutely grateful and thankful for their safe escape, they had to leave all possessions and belongings which will mostly be irreparable after the deluge came through the property.”
The Rai River on Thursday night had its biggest flood on record, estimated as a 60-year event.
A state of emergency was declared on Friday evening for Marlborough. The scale of the damage was thought to be worse than the storm of July 2021, which damaged 460km of the region’s roads and cut off residents in the Marlborough Sounds, Waihopai Valley and Awatere Valley for months.
On Saturday afternoon, road closures included State Highway 1 from Koromiko to Tuamarina, State Highway 63 from Renwick to St Arnaud, and State Highway 6 from Rapaura Rd to Hira.
A council spokesperson said SH1 would reopen at 6pm on Saturday, subject to an engineer assessment of the Wairau Bridge.
In Waikawa, near Picton, a holiday home was destroyed by a landslide on Saturday morning.
Picton Volunteer Fire Brigade deputy fire chief Greg Frisken said the house on Port Underwood Rd was unoccupied when a landslide came down the steep gully and engulfed the building, shortly before 7am.
The impact caused severe structural damage and there was mud all through the building, Frisken said.
The fire crew was unable to drive to the scene due to a landslide blocking the road about 300 metres from the house, and had to park up and walk around the slip, Frisken said.
“There were two houses directly below this house and we evacuated two residents, and further down the bay, still in the path of the slip, was another four houses which we evacuated six people from.”
They would be unable to return home until authorities had given the all-clear, and were staying with friends in the meantime, Frisken said.
The Picton brigade also attended a callout at Harbour View Heights in Picton on Thursday, where a landslide fell away in front of a hillside house, causing a cavity under the concrete patio. The house was yellow-stickered, Frisken said.
Marlborough Sounds ward councillor Barbara Faulls said she understood there were several homes in the Kenepuru and outer Pelorus sounds that had been damaged by landslides and flooding. She was not aware of anyone injured by the mudslides.
While the rain had eased somewhat on Saturday, those houses were still being assessed for whether they were safe to for residents to re-enter. Some of them could be found to be uninhabitable, she said.
“We thought last year’s event was out of the box and would hopefully never happen again … and yet here we are again,” Faulls said.
“The Sounds have again copped it pretty badly.”
The damage was widespread across the region. It was unusual to see Tōtaranui Queen Charlotte Sound brown from mud washed off the hills, she said.
“The land has been saturated. It can’t cope any more with the amount of rain running off the hills.”
She knew people affected by last year’s storm were now facing further damage from this week’s rain. “My heart goes out to them, a lot of them are suffering.
“There will be farming families that have been absolutely hammered … and we’re right in the middle of calving … Trying to find an area with dry land so you can get your animals or stock to safety, but also knowing you’ve only got so much feed left.”
A break in the rain on Saturday allowed people to survey the damage and start clearing debris, she said.
“I’m just starting to see some blue sky … I think they’re forecasting relatively good weather through the week thankfully.
“I know the Civil Defence team are doing a wonderful job, contacting communities and being out and about … ensuring the most isolated residents can get things like medication.
“And I know the locals are trying to do what they can, with tractors and diggers, all working together as a team.”
The recovery would need to be “one bite of the elephant at a time”, Faulls said.
She encouraged anyone with concerns to reach out to authorities and agencies for support.
“If you have safety concerns, ring 111 in the first instance, and don’t sit there questioning what to do if there’s a slip behind your house, grab your bits and bobs and go … it can be so sudden and unpredictable, don’t put yourself in danger by staying home.”
She also asked people to stay off the roads, especially in flood affected areas. “The roads are very unstable and they are closed for a reason … listen to the official information and be safe.”
Tunakino, northeast of Rai Valley, had the most rain in Marlborough this week totalling 1 metre by 5pm on Saturday. The wettest day there was Thursday with 388.9mm, according to the council’s Rain Report.
Rai Valley at Rai Falls had the second most rain this week at 757.5mm, heaviest on Wednesday at 284.5mm.
A major leak was found in Havelock’s potable water supply on Saturday, due to a broken water main underneath a flooded causeway.
Council operations and maintenance engineer Stephen Rooney said the main could not be repaired until surface flooding receded.
Households would likely find their water pressure much lower, Rooney said, and asked households in Havelock to conserve water until the repairs were completed.
Attempts would be made on Sunday morning, and water would be shut off for up to six hours.
“We encourage residents to fill a five-litre bucket to enable them to flush their toilet during this time.”
As a precaution port-a-loos had been stationed at the Havelock Hotel, the public toilets, the Havelock Holiday Park office, the Havelock Domain car park, the Havelock Service Station and next to the Four Square.
Waka Kotahi top of the south systems manager Andrew James said early indications were that the damage to the region’s roading networks was equal to or worse than that experienced in the July 2021 storm.
“It’s too early to tell exactly what the cost will be … But we know the damage in Kenepuru last year will be millions [to fix] so certainly this will be millions more.”
When this week’s rain arrived, James’ team was still in the process of calculating the cost of repairs from the three significant rain events last month, which was expected to be “in the region of $10 to $20 million”.
Waka Kotahi national journey manager Helen Harris strongly advised motorists to avoid travel or keep to essential trips only in areas with floodwaters and debris.
“We are working as hard as we can to restore vital transport links. Everyone’s patience and understanding is appreciated.”
Significant slips and damage on SH6 meant it was expected to be closed for days, with the next update on Tuesday.
The other route to Nelson, on SH63 via Renwick and St Arnaud, remained closed over the weekend due to a washout of the approach to the Branch Bridge.
“An update on that route will be available on Tuesday also. We know there is extensive damage on this route also above the Rainbow turnoff,” Harris said.
Contractors would be clearing slips and debris over coming days, and drivers were asked to take care around crews, slow down and be prepared for delays. Slips remained an ongoing risk while the land was soaked.
Plan your journey using Waka Kotahi’s Journey Planner or check the latest roading updates at the Marlborough District Council website.
People were advised to heed weather warnings and keep an eye on the MetService website or app.
For information on preparing for a flood please visit: getready.govt.nz
Anyone displaced by flooding or road closures was encouraged to contact the Marlborough Emergency Management by emailing teamwelfare@marlborough.govt.nz or by phoning 03 520 7400.
The Public Health Service recommends people on their own supply affected by flooding boil their water.
Road closures at 1pm on Saturday
SH1, between Spring Creek and Koromiko from 2pm
SH63, between Renwick and St Arnaud is closed.
SH6, between SH62/Rapaura Road and Hira is closed.
Queen Charlotte Drive between Picton and Havelock.
Marina Drive in Picton, at the Beach Road intersection.
Vickerman Street Ford, Grovetown
Waikakaho Road from number 715
Waihopai Valley Road is closed from the dam.
Northbank Road is closed, 2.3km in from the start of the road.
Fairhall Diversion and the Ford on Old Renwick Road are closed.
Hammerichs, Thompsons/O’Dwyers and Jacksons Fords.
Tumbledown Bay Road from 3.2km in
Jones Road is closed between the stop banks, approximately 2km along the road.
Morgans Road Ford is closed.
Old Renwick Road is closed between Hammerichs and Jacksons Road is closed.
Port Underwood Road from Waikawa Bay to Rarangi is closed.
Chaytors Road between Wairau Bar Road and Bothams Bend Road
Terrace Road, Renwick
Boyce Street, Renwick
Para Road
Anakiwa Road, approximately 2km from the start of the road is closed with a slip blocking the road.
Kenepuru Road, from the Moetapu Bay turnoff is closed with trees down across the road.
Moetapu Bay Road is closed for the length of the road.
Wairau Bar Road
Centre Valley Road is closed 520m from the start of the road, beyond the final residence.
Ronga Road in Rai Valley
Opouri Road in Rai Valley
Wakamarina Road 13.3km in, approximately 1.5km before the end of the road.
Stump Creek Road is closed between 170m to 200m, accessible from either end of Rapaura Road.
Port Underwood Road is closed to vehicles over 12.6m long.
Upton Downs Road in Seddon is closed to heavy or wide vehicles from number 146.
Awatere Valley Road is closed at Limestone Bridge.