MEDIA RELEASE - RAIN EVENT September 2015 #2

Thursday 24 September, 2014

Horizons to monitor situation overnight

Horizons Regional Council’s operations and emergency management staff will continue to keep an eye on river levels in the Manawatu and Rangitikei overnight.

Horizons group manager operations Allan Cook says most river levels are starting to recede but some peaks are yet to make their way down the systems.

“The Moutoa floodgates were opened at 11am this morning to relieve pressure on the Manawatu River and these are expected to remain open until mid morning tomorrow. The Manawatu, Oroua andRangitikei Rivers have peaked but we are expecting the Rangitikei to remain close to its peak of 6.4 metres for approximately 10 hours,” says Mr Cook.

“Operations staff will be closely monitoring flood system weaknesses following the June event on the Rangitikei overnight. We’re also conscious of high water levels on Main Drain where a number of repairs were recently undertaken.

“While we don’t anticipate any issues, we would like to have staff on the ground at Parewanui on the Rangitikei River and Main Drain at Rangiotu to ensure we keep on top of any developments. We also have contingency plans in place should they be needed.”

The most recent Metservice update states there is no significant rainfall expected over the next 24 hours. Up-to-date information on river heights and rainfall is available via Horizons 24 hour toll-free Waterline 0508 4 FLOOD or via our website www.horizons.govt.nz

Members of the public are advised to take care while driving and check the AA’s website,http://maps.aa.co.nz/traffic/roadwatch for information on road closures.

Ends

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