Christchurch’s flood defence system nearly reached capacity during a record-breaking rainstorm that brought flooding, slips, home evacuations, and road closures to the South Island.
The storm brought more than a month’s worth of rainfall to Christchurch in just 24 hours, testing the city’s new storm water storage systems built after repeated floods following the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.
Workers look set to continue clearing slips and reopening roads through to Friday. Dyers Pass Rd, which connects Governors Bay to Cashmere, was back open on Thursday.
A reprieve is in store as MetService predicts a dry week for Canterbury with little rain expected until Thursday next week. Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Matthew Reid warned people to avoid contact with beaches, rivers and floodwaters for two days after the rainfall event.
Emmett Street, in Shirley, Christchurch was still closed due to flooding on Wednesday.
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Christchurch City Council head of three waters Helen Beaumont said the city’s stormwater storage system performed well during this week’s downpour.
She said the system stored about 1.5 million cubic metres of stormwater during the deluge, close to its maximum capacity of 1.7 million cubic metres. The maximum capacity will increase to 2 million cubic metres in 2024 when all four stormwater basins in the Heathcote catchment are complete.
The system kept the water from the city’s rivers and prevented them from bursting their banks and flooding homes, she said.
CHRIS SKELTON/Stuff
Emmett St resident Barney Gray says she has only seen flooding like this once before in the 24 years she has lived in the street.
“We have used a lot of that capacity because we have had so much rain over the last 48 hours. “That rain has got to go somewhere,’’ she said.
“The areas where we have traditionally had a lot of flooding, like Flockton and Dudley, I am not aware of any floor level flooding in those areas. “It didn’t seem to get into any properties.”
The stored water would slowly be released into Christchurch rivers, she said.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF
Lyttelton resident Harley Ritchie watched boulders coming down the road and feared they were about to go through his house.
MetService forecaster Aidan Pyselman said 100mm of rain had fallen at the Christchurch Airport weather station over the 48 hours up to 3pm on Wednesday. In Akaroa, 127mm of rain had fallen over the same period.
Rain overnight on Monday pushed Christchurch Airport’s reading to 268 millimetres for the month – officially making July the city’s wettest month on record.
Pyselman said the next week would be largely dry in Canterbury, with only a few showers expected until Thursday next week.
Chris Skelton/Stuff
Hoon Hay mother Renee makes a trip outside to the letterbox with daughters Frankie, 6 (left) and Ebony, 4.
The cleanup in Christchurch would continue on Thursday and likely into Friday, with city council streets maintenance manager Steve Guy saying contractors were clearing slips as quickly as they could.
Roads that were still flooded would reopen as water drained away, Guy said.
The rising floodwaters inundated streets in the Christchurch suburbs of Hoon Hay, Shirley and Edgeware, but the water did not appear to have breached any homes.
On Wednesday, Emmett St in Shirley was still flooded.
Many residents said they needed more help from the council.
KAI SCHWOERER/Stuff
An aerial view of the flooded Heathcote Valley Riding School on Wednesday. Christchurch experienced heavy rain, leading to a record month of rainfall.
Beaumont said they were making sure that storm grates and beach outfall systems were clear of debris to ensure the floodwater drained away quickly from flooded areas.
She said the floodwater should be gone in the next 24 hours.
“We are looking at the network as a whole, rather than putting pumps in particular streets because that just shifts water from one area to another,’’ she said.
CHRIS SKELTON
Emmett St resident Barney Gray says she’s only seen flooding like this once before in the 24 years she’s lived in the Christchurch street.
On Wednesday, three slips in Lyttelton, Redcliffs and on the Banks Peninsula prompted the evacuation of five properties.
Multiple roads across the city were closed due to flooding. Evans Pass Rd and Dyers Pass Rd over Christchurch’s Port Hills closed due to multiple slips, but both have reopened.
Christchurch City Council/Supplied
One of the slips that closed Dyers Pass Rd after heavy downpours battered Christchurch. The road has reopened.
On the Banks Peninsula, there were slips in Diamond Harbour, between Purau and Governors Bay, and above Akaroa.
There were reports of “big chunks of clay” on roads near Charteris Bay.
Further north, three households in Waimakariri remained in temporary accommodation while damage on their properties was assessed, and two Selwyn households were in hotels.
The storm also caused chaos further south in Otago.
On Wednesday evening, State Highway 1 was closed north of Oamaru and State Highway 82 was closed along the northern bank of the Waitaki River due to flooding.
Dunedin had 87mm of rain within 48 hours, including 20mm overnight into Tuesday. Timaru had about 80mm in 48 hours.
In Timaru, 15 households from Mill Rd Huts had been evacuated.
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