4WDs to check communities still cut off by snow

Cameron Sullivan, 12, pushes his bike through thick snow in Geraldine yesterday. Picture / Otago Daily Times

Civil Defence staff are organising a fleet of four-wheel-drive vehicles to check Canterbury rural communities isolated for three days after a huge snowfall.

Thousands of properties are still without electricity and telephones after heavy snow on Monday closed roads and felled power lines.

Electricity lines contractors were working flat out to repair main feeder lines and restore power to rural communities, but warned today that some isolated properties might have to wait without power until after the weekend.

Regional council Environment Canterbury emergency management planner Jon Mitchell said today local authorities were concerned at not being able to communicate with outlying communities.

With power supplies still unavailable in many areas, telecommunications via both landline and cell tower were non-existent in some parts. The Mackenzie Basin and Hakataramea Valley in South Canterbury were worst affected.

Civil Defence staff were today arranging for a number of four-wheel-drive vehicles to go out to some of the more remote areas now that some roads had been cleared and others were clearing with improved weather conditions, Mr Mitchell said.

The possible use of helicopters would be discussed at a teleconference between local authorities this morning.

"As time goes by, with people being cut off for so long without electricity particularly, it's going to be quite uncomfortable for them at the very least," Mr Mitchell said.

"We are concerned there might be issues and we're making all efforts we can to get access to all of those areas as soon as we possibly can."

A number of schools throughout Canterbury remained closed today.

A heavy frost in Christchurch this morning made roads very slippery and police warned motorists to take extreme care.

Icy conditions further south were blamed for causing a truck and trailer carrying flammable liquid to overturn on State Highway 1, 4km south of Ashburton early this morning.

The Summit Rd around Christchurch's Port Hills was closed, as were several roads to outlying bays around Banks Peninsula.

State Highway 73 between Springfield and Arthurs Pass was to reopen to essential traffic only at 10am after being closed for three days.

In South Canterbury, SH8 between Fairlie and Twizel was closed, with no alternative route available.

SH80 from Lake Pukaki to Mt Cook was closed, as was SH79 between Geraldine and Fairlie.

Lines companies said today contractors were working steadily to repair main feeder lines but warned that some more remote properties might have to wait until next week for power supplies to be restored.

Alpine Energy chief executive Greg Skelton said extra crew had been brought to Timaru from Marlborough and Queenstown.

Crews would work from 7am to 6pm until Friday, when it was hoped to have power back to most customers, but Twizel may have to wait another day or two, he said.

Orion general manager, infrastructure, John O'Donnell said about 2500 properties were still without power to the south and west of Christchurch.

Contractors had discovered "quite a bit of damage" on the northern banks of the Rakaia River, where snow was up to 1m deep.

Mr O'Donnell said damage was more extensive than first thought and properties in isolated areas, such as Lake Coleridge, would have to wait until after the weekend for reconnection.

Mainpower planning manager Stuart Wilson said only about 350 to 400 properties were without power around North Canterbury.

"We're hoping to get that down under 50 tonight," he said.

Staff had flown over the Lees Valley and repairs to properties there could be completed by the end of today.

"Things are progressing pretty well," he said. "We've got another couple of full days to tidy up and then a few weeks of fixing up temporary repairs and making things permanent."

Electricity Ashburton operations manager Ken Stirling said 5000 properties in pockets all around the Mid Canterbury town were still waiting to be reconnected. Some people, especially those with localised faults, would have to wait for power until after the weekend.

In hard-hit Timaru, property owners were warned not to enter snow-damaged buildings until they had been properly assessed by engineers.

Timaru District Council services manager Ashley Harper said roading engineers were developing a strategy to provide access through the snow-choked district that would allow schools to reopen, bus services to run again and open rural roads at least to 4WD vehicles.

Most of the district's sealed and unsealed roads should be passable in some form by the end of the weekend, he said.

- NZPA