Deluge floods region

MURRAY WILSON/Manawatu Standard

STAND TALL: Ethan Stevenson, 10, in the back garden of his grandparents' house on State Highway 2, south of Pahiatua.

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LATEST: State Highways 56 and 3 remain closed as slips and flooding still continue to make travelling difficult following heavy rain and strong winds in the central North Island.

Most roads in the hard-hit Tararua district have now been re-opened, however the council is asking motorists to remain cautious.

Slips have also been reported in Longburn, Glen Oroua, Himatangi, and Woodville, but the roads have not been closed.

Federated Farmers Tararua and Fonterra held a meeting this morning to discuss how they would go about evaluating the damage in order to see what help is needed and where.

Federated Farmers Tararua field officer Andrea Beagely said there were some farms with significantly hit by the flooding.

"It's now our job to find these farms and offer them the assistance they need. Sometimes it can be difficult to contact all the individuals.

"Any farmers requiring assistance can contact the 0800 FARMING (327 646) number or me directly," Mrs Beagely said.

Farmers and rural residents this morning started assessing the damage caused by widespread flooding throughout the region yesterday, while hoping that today's early rain doesn't again turn into a watery nightmare.

Sustained torrential downpours drenched Manawatu and Horowhenua yesterday, with some farmers waking to paddocks that had turned into swimming pools overnight.

Horowhenua, Manawatu, Rangitikei and Tararua all activated their emergency operation centres, with Tararua also operating its Civil Defence measures, including a welfare centre in Pahiatua.

Major roads were closed and Palmerston North was nearly cut off, with sections of the Manawatu Gorge and State Highways 56, 57, 2 and 1 all being closed because of severe surface flooding.

At 8.30am today, sections of The Gorge and State Highways 56 and 57 still remained closed and cleanup crews were removing large slips from the road.

At least three schools – Mangamaire School, Ruahine School and Tararua College – were closed yesterday and about 60 residents were forced to flee rising waters in Pahiatua after the Mangatainoka River rose to 100-year record levels.

The Moutoa and Makino floodgates were opened last night to allow excess flows down the floodways and ease river levels.

Thousands of people throughout the central North Island yesterday wondered if the water would stop rising and watched as paddocks, streets and yards filled with water.

"I went out to find the cats and one of them was literally swimming in what used to be the garden," Mangamaire resident Craig Mailman said.

After hours of deluge, the rain started to slacken about 4pm and water levels slowly began to recede, with Tararua – the worst hit of the regions – deactivating its Civil Defence measures at 10.15pm.

This morning, the Tararua District Council had received only two reports of houses being flooded and was working to clear any damaged roads.

MetService forecaster Oliver Druce said between 200 and 300 millimetres of rain fell in the Tararua Range yesterday, while in the low-lying areas, including Palmerston North, Levin, Pohangina and Pahiatua, it varied from 40mm to 100mm.

Mr Druce said heavy rain was predicted to hit the central North Island this afternoon, but Horowhenua and Manawatu would be largely unaffected. But rivers in Whanganui and Rangitikei were beginning to rise again early today.

- © Fairfax NZ News