It has been another nervous night for West Coasters, with a red heavy rain warning remaining in place.
Westport residents were urged to self-evacuate last night, with more severe weather expected today.
Work to clear away a large slip blocking the Seddonville settlement hasn't been possible during the night.
But Buller district controller Chris Hawker says Emergency Management haven't received any more major reports, other than surface flooding.
He says the heavy rain expected around 3am hasn't eventuated - but the rivers are still slowly rising in some areas.
Red warnings remain in place for parts of Westland and Buller as the second phase of the rain hits.
"For Buller until 1am Saturday, extended periods of heavy rain will continue. Expect 250 to 350mm of rain to accumulate about the ranges on top of what has already fallen, and 120 to 220mm near the coast. Peak rates of 20 to 30mm/h about the ranges are anticipated," Westland District Council said.
"For Westland to Midnight Friday expect another 150 to 250mm of rain to accumulate near the ranges about and north of Fox Glacier, and 80 to 120mm near the coast. Peak intensities of 20 to 30mm about the ranges are anticipated.
Te Aroha Cook, West Coast Group Controller, said that there was still a significant amount of rain to fall in this event.
Council workers and locals have been out sandbagging and preparing for the worst, with fears of another major flood like the one that devastated the town last winter.
The Emergency Operations Centre is working to make arrangements for any mandatory evacuations if required in the next few days.
But in the meantime, authorities are asking residents to self-evacuate if they can easily do so to friends and family outside of Westport.
"Self-evacuation is encouraged for those who experienced flooding in July last year as a precaution," said local controller Bob Dickson.
"The coast road and the Buller Gorge are open, so moving east and south out of town are still safe options. The forecast is showing significant rain for northern Buller, so residents should avoid travelling north."
People can also self-evacuate to Greymouth an evacuation centre has been set up at the Greymouth Baptist Church, (76 High St) for Westport residents, with some local evacuation centres open at Sergeants Hill and Waimangaroa Community Hall but capacity is limited.
People self-evacuating are urged to remember to take grab bags and pets with them. Huha (Helping You Help Animals) has set up an animal shelter for domestic pets at Pamu Farms for those who cannot take their animals with them.
"If you are able to safely self-evacuate, please leave a note in your window to let authorities know everyone in your household has left," Dickson said.
"I know leaving your homes behind is very disruptive and distressing, but the community now has time to move safely before more rain sets in.
"Those residents who cannot easily self-evacuate to stay with family or friends should prepare for possible evacuations in coming days."
Further evacuation decisions will be made as authorities get more clarity around rainfall in the next 24 hours.
Police will also be are running 24/7 patrols of evacuated properties.
MetService has extended the timing of the red warnings for heavy rain in Buller and Westland as an "atmospheric river" of warm and moist air continues to bring heavy rain to the West Coast.
Meteorologist Andrew James said there has already been significant rainfall in the region.
"This weather system brought 123mm to Westport airport in the 24 hours to 9am Thursday, the wettest February day there since records began in 1944," he said.
"The severe weather is still ongoing for some areas and people in these areas need to remain alert and keep up to date with the forecasts."
Some schools on the coast are closed and roads have been shut off from slips. Power, phones and the internet are also out in some areas.
There are fears the Buller River could burst its banks as it did last July.
After "technical updates" from Niwa and the West Coast Regional Council river team, Buller district mayor Jamie Cleine said they are planning for mandatory evacuations for the seven at-risk parts of Westport tomorrow morning.
"That decision will be made in the morning," he said.
"The message today for anyone in those areas is if they wish to self-evacuate to areas outside of Westport then they should do so, and the mandatory aspect will come into play in the morning, assuming we confirm that decision based on the next update."
There is no threat today, Cleine said, but the peak will likely come on Friday night and into Saturday morning.
Some modelling suggests the flooding could be worse than last July – but others say it might not be as bad.
He hopes that preparation work, including on the stopbanks and targeted sandbagging, will help keep the water away from homes and businesses.
The same system bringing significant rain to Buller and wet weather to the South Island has made for a warm start for much of Aotearoa. Christchurch already at 26C. Your forecast is at https://t.co/Yjbq0jgaoz pic.twitter.com/4CL92C9mHz
— MetService (@MetService) February 2, 2022
Susanne Beattie moved to Carters Beach at Westport a week after last year's flooding.
Today she was out working with a 92-year-old, Jim, and helping with preparations and filling sandbags at the Pulse Energy Recreation Centre.
"I grew up here as a child and the community looked after me as a kid and now it's time for me to give back," Beattie said.
She said locals were getting pretty worried but she said Civil Defence were doing a great job and locals were getting stuck in to prepare the best they could.
"It's better to be safe than sorry," she said.
"Get out and sandbag houses if we need to. If we don't need sand afterwards, it doesn't matter. Prevention is better than cure."
Westland authorities, after bracing for the worst, feel they may have dodged a weather bullet further south on the coast after heavy rainfall hit the district over the past 24 hours.
Westland Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) this morning reported "no significant events", despite a local state of emergency being declared yesterday.
"The rivers have run high but we have only had reports of the Makaawhio breaching its banks and this was not a cause of serious concern," said local controller Simon Bastion.
"We did not have to issue any mandated evacuations in any part of the district, although some people chose to evacuate in localised areas."
Today they will continue to review the situation, as will MetService, but are "hopeful that the red warning in Westland will be downgraded as we receive further information".
The EOC will remain active until further notice but some staff and volunteers will be redeployed to the Emergency Control Centre in Greymouth and to assist the Buller EOC as the rain band heads up the coast.
"We extend our thanks to the volunteers throughout Westland who have provided their support to the EOC and their communities over the last 24 hours," Bastion said.
"This makes a big difference to how much we can support our widespread communities. Everyone who has received assistance will be very grateful to these volunteers."
The Country's Rowena Duncum told Gold AM six weeks without rain on the coast equates to about 18 weeks for the rest of the country.
She says it's positive the dry spell has broken, but there are big concerns for Westport.
Duncum says they're still considering mass evacuations in the coming days - and if there's a lot of flooding, this will be the second time in six months.
Meanwhile, Franz Josef and Haast have become isolated after the state highway became blocked on either side.
Heavy rainfall in South Westland closed SH6 early last night between Makarora and Fox Glacier, said Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Highway teams are assessing a number of slips north of Haast township and between the two glacier towns, Franz Josef and Fox, this morning. Work is under way to clear slips, although progress will be dependent on weather conditions.
Damage assessment is still under way and the next review on opening will be at 6pm, says Moira Whinham, maintenance contract manager for Waka Kotahi on the West Coast.
"The weather eased over South Westland overnight and a red alert from MetService remains in force with more rain forecast," Whinham said.
"Buller, western Motueka, the Richmond Ranges near Murchison and the Whangamoas between Blenheim and Nelson are forecast to catch the heavy rainfall in the next 24 to 48 hours."
Elsewhere on SH6 there is surface flooding on low-lying areas of the highway and people are advised to avoid travel in these areas if possible.
Nearly 200 people in Franz Josef are without power after either a slip or washout of poles cut electricity to those supplied from the Fox Substation.
Spark says all cellphone sites south of Hari Hari have been lost, while landlines are still working.
South Westland Area School and Haast School are closed today and tomorrow.
Buller District Council has had reports of surface flooding on Karamea Highway at Little Wanganui, Wangapeka Rd, and low-lying areas by the Tidal Creek Bridge.
They are urging motorists to take care and "do not use if in doubt".
"Have your grab bags handy, connect with friends and family, assist your neighbours to get ready, and make sure your car is good to go to take you to higher ground," the council said earlier.
"Your grab bag has to include personal medications, water, food, blankets, warm clothes and remember to have a plan in place for your pets."
Locals are urged to keep tuning in to the Buller Emergency Management Facebook page and Coast FM for up-to-date information and advice.
"We are with you in this and together we will get through it."
Westland district mayor Bruce Smith says 10 people had been evacuated in Haast overnight.
MetService has declared a red warning for Westland and Buller - with the potential for hundreds of millimetres to drop over 48 hours.
A large-scale response has kicked into gear, with West Coast Emergency Management setting up centres in Greymouth, Hokitika and Westport.
The Army sent four trucks and one support vehicle from New Zealand Army's 3rd Combat Service Support Battalion (3CSSB) have arrived in Greymouth last night after departing Burnham Military Camp.
Other military "capabilities" have been placed on standby to deploy to the West Coast, while a Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopter will also fly south to be ready to assist with the response.
NZTA is warning motorists in the whole of the South Island to be careful.
"Roads will be affected and driving will be treacherous in such heavy downpours. People may face delays."
River levels throughout Westland and the wider West Coast are set to rise as rain continues.
Community Response Centres are currently open in Franz Josef at the Medical Centre and in Hari Hari at the Hari Hari Community Hall.
Westport civil defence controller Bob Nixon said the rain was starting to pour down intensively about noon yesterday.
He earlier encouraged people to voluntarily evacuate from low-lying sites in the town.
For people who live in areas that don't usually flood, Bastion said residents should have a "grab bag" that holds what the person, family and pets need, including important documents.
Residents are reminded to take their emergency getaway bag with them and to remember medicines, food, water, a radio, torch, warm clothes and blankets.
Warm winds and snow melt, combined with a massive rain event and dry ground conditions, meant it had the potential to cause quite a problem on the coast, particularly around Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, Mayor Smith said.
"I think there's a high chance there's going to be a number of unexpected slips and we don't want people getting trapped in between slips or, you know, getting caught in them unnecessarily."
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