Whanganui woman trapped in car pulled from rising floodwaters

Mangamahu resident Mere Keating discovered the submerged car on Mangamahu Rd but the Whanganui woman who was driving was rescued from it hours earlier. Photo / Supplied

A woman was rescued from her car by two men after becoming partially submerged in floodwaters on Mangamahu Rd near Whanganui.

Mangamahu resident Lloyd “Monty” Holland said he was on his way into town at around 11am on Sunday when he came across a flooded area of Mangamahu Rd, near McCain’s Cutting and next to the Whangaehu River.

He noticed a small blue car submerged between two trees.

“I thought, ‘I wonder if somebody’s in that car’,” he said.

He parked his car and waded into the water, which was still rising.

“I was yelling out, but nobody was answering.”

He noticed movement inside as he got nearer and discovered the woman trapped in the car.

Water was up to the front windows and had filled the car.

“If the trees hadn’t stopped the car... [it] would’ve just gone down the river,” Holland said.

“They would’ve never got out because the water was flowing that fast.”

Holland opened the boot of the car and helped her into the back where it was shallow enough to get out, grabbing her belongings.

Former Mangamahu resident Carl Roberts arrived at the scene and quickly waded in to help Holland. He carried the woman out of the water with Holland following behind.

“You couldn’t see where your feet were going half the time,” Holland said.

“When you looked behind you ... there were logs going past.”

The cold water was up to the woman’s waist at the car and rose visibly while they helped her, Roberts said.

After getting back to their cars, Holland drove the woman to her family member’s home nearby.

Roberts’ mother, a nurse, Sandra Roberts, checked in on the woman later that day.

Holland helped her family tow her car out of the mud on Monday.

Whanganui Civil Defence emergency manager Tim Crowe said, “It was good people doing the right thing. Excellent work on their behalf.”

Heavy rainfall over the weekend and into this week caused slips, flooding and several road closures in the Whanganui and Ruapehu district, including Mangamahu Rd on Monday.

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe declared a state of local emergency in the Whanganui District at 6.57am on Sunday after severe rainfall overnight raised river levels and increased the risk of further flooding.

Tripe lifted the local state of emergency at 9.04am on Monday, April 21.

Residents are urged not to enter floodwater as rainfall continues into Wednesday.

Erin Smith is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.