Westport on the South Island's West Coast was completely flooded. Photo / George Heard
Westport on the South Island's West Coast was completely flooded. Photo / George Heard
As the floodwaters in Buller disappear, damage caused by the severe weather that hit the West Coast on the weekend becomes more evident.
Hundreds of people were forced from their homes when heavy rain caused flooding, closed major roads, submerged fields and prompted Buller and Marlborough to declare local statesof emergency.
Buller mayor Jamie Cleine said around 22 homes in his district were "red stickered" yesterday - meaning their occupants couldn't return home to live before repair work was done.
There were around 100 people still staying in the area's three evacuation centres, including a school where people were camped out in classrooms.
Relocatable accommodation units would be ordered to house some people in the medium term - as some residents faced months out of their homes, while others may never be able to return to their properties, Cleine said.
The clean-up has begun in Westport following the devastating floods that hit the small West Coast town. Photo / George Heard
Brianna Fox shows the Herald through her family home which was badly damaged in the floods. Photo / George Heard
The focus for the coming days was to continue assessing the damage to homes - with Cleine predicting the number of "red stickered" homes likely to be more than 100.
"A lot of the red-stickered houses are dotted [around]. You could have a red stickered house and the next one is fine. It came down to the luck of the draw," he said.
Westport on the West Coast was completely flooded, with many residents left without homes. Pictured is Buller District mayor Jamie Cleine. Photo / George Heard
Floodwaters in the area had receded - while the streets were "a hive of activity" with people pulling carpet and furniture from their homes and piling it on the streets.
"The streets are all looking a little dirty and dusty," he said.
MetService has issued a "heavy rain watch" for Buller and the ranges of Westland, with periods of heavy rain forecast and thunderstorms possible for inland areas.
Many Westport residents were left without homes after the flooding. Photo / George Heard
Emergency services check on residents trapped by floodwaters at Cobden, north of Greymouth. Photo / George Heard
Forecaster Sonja Farmer said a front would move across the South Island today and Thursday morning - bringing a brief burst of heavy rain.
"It's not expected to be exceptional but because of the recent flooding, it's pretty much a precautionary watch," she said.
The deluge on the West Coast elicited a multi-agency response - including from the New Zealand Defence Force, which deployed more than 30 personnel and soldiers, four Unimogs, an Air Force helicopter and other vehicles.
A state of emergency was declared on the West Coast after the massive rainfall. Photo / George Heard
Defence Force personnel did emergency food drops to rural areas, cooked for up to 300 emergency responders and assisted with the evacuation of more than 800 properties.
Buller Health, a DHB health service provider for Westport and Northern Buller, is also continuing to deal with the damage caused by the flooding - including replacing damaged electrical cabling and switchgear.
Two patients were being cared for in a makeshift ward facility at the local community club, while acutely unwell people were being diverted to Greymouth's Te Nikau Hospital, the DHB said in an update.
The Buller Bridge at Westport was closed as river flows continued to climb after torrential rain brought flooding to many areas on the Coast. Photo / George Heard
West Coast Emergency Management said 89 houses in the West Coast had suffered severe or total damage (red category) and 400 suffered moderate damage (yellow category).
Recovery from the weekend's storm also continues in Marlborough - another badly impacted area - where residents were evacuated and roads closed.
The Wingham Rugby Park at Greymouth underwater after the flooding. Photo / George Heard
The submerged Wingham Rugby Park. Photo / George Heard
The flooded river in Greymouth on July 17, after torrential rain and strong winds hit the region. Photo / Tania Gibson
"We are working with many Marlborough-based agencies, organisations and iwi to get our region back up and running," Mayor John Leggett said.
In Nelson, the stormy weather washed away a section of footpath on Rocks Rd, with a temporary footpath erected on Monday night, the Nelson City Council said in a Facebook update.
Construction of a permanent path would take several weeks to complete.
