Weather: Selwyn homes under threat from rising water levels, Mayor Sam Broughton 300km away

Residents of the Canterbury town of Doyleston are sandbagging their homes as the rain continues to fall. Photo / George Heard

• Residents of Doyleston are battling to keep floodwaters from their homes as rain continues in Canterbury.
• Nick Reid’s property is under immediate threat, using seed bags to deflect water.
• Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton was in Wellington when a state of emergency was declared.

Residents of the small town of Doyleston are fighting to keep flood waters from their front door as the rain continues to fall in Canterbury.

Nick Reid’s property is under immediate threat.

“The water’s coming in from the drain that’s flowing in through our gate, and it’s nearly in the house, so I’ve gone and got seed bags,” says Reid.

His home is one of several in Doyleston, northeast of Leeston and near Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere, which are battling to prevent the rising floodwaters from entering.

Pitching in, neighbours checking in on each other and helping to keep the floodwaters out. Photo / George Heard

For some, it’s too late.

“The neighbours behind us, the water’s already in their house,” says Reid.

He says he’s aware there could be worse to come.

“Now that I’ve put seed bags here from work to try and deflect it – it’s starting to work, but there’s still a lot more water to come from up the road,” says Reid.

Residents of the Canterbury town of Doyleston are sandbagging their homes as the rain continues to fall. Photo / George Heard

Reid admits he’s worried about how bad it could still get for an area that is notorious for flooding, but could be seeing new levels of damage.

“I’ve been out here all my life, and I’ve never seen it this bad.”

Meanwhile, it’s understood Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton was in Wellington when a state of emergency was declared in the district early today.

House flooded on SH75 in Canterbury. Photo / George Heard

Broughton, who also heads Local Government New Zealand, is now unable to fly back to Christchurch.

He took to social media this morning to declare the state of emergency.

“Part of the issue is Selwyn Huts and the need for self-evacuation in that area. There’s an expectation that that community will be cut off and the river may breach,” said Broughton in a video on the Selwyn District Facebook page.

Several Selwyn schools have closed for the day, including Ellesmere College, Lincoln High School and Darfield High School.