Emergency Operations activated in response to river levels

The Makino Floodgates have been lowered and Horizons Regional Council teams are keeping a close eye on river levels across the Region as rain continues to fall.

The Horizons Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activated at 5am this morning.

The Makino Stream is the team’s priority at this point. However, levels are also rising in the Mangaone Stream, Oroua River, Manawatu River, Whangaehu River and Whanganui River and these will continue to be monitored as the day progresses.

Horizons incident controller Craig Grant says the team are working closely with the Manawatu District Council, police and other agencies to assess the situation in Feilding and have alerted landowners within the Makino Spillway.

“At this stage we are aware of the situation and teams have been deployed working to minimise the impact of this rainfall on our regional communities. We recommend that people stay tuned to their local radio station and keep an eye on the Civil Defence Manawatu Wanganui Facebook page for updates.

“We also ask that people stay away from rivers and streams, take care while driving and check the AA’s website,http://maps.aa.co.nz/traffic/roadwatch for information on road closures.”

Up-to-date information on river heights and rainfall is also available via Horizons 24 hour toll-free Waterline 0508 4 FLOOD or via website www.horizons.govt.nz

ENDS

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