Rivers levels throughout Westland and the wider West Coast are predicted to continue to rise and the rain continues. The Metservice are predicting particularly severe rainfall in ranges of Westland overnight on Wednesday and through until Thursday.

“We ask all residents in the Westland District to be prepared to evacuate their homes if necessary,” Westland District Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Controller Simon Bastion says. “We are monitoring the situation closely and our local controllers are setting up community welfare centres to look after people if evacuations are called for. If you live in an area where flooding is a regular occurrence, we urge you to evacuate to friends and family as a first priority. Community Response Centres are currently open in Franz Josef at the Medical Centre and in Harihari at the Harihari Community Hall.

For people in areas that do not usually flood, we suggest that you have a grab-bag with what you, your family and your pets need, and include your important documents. We also encourage people to check in with their friends and families and make sure that they are ready to evacuate or need any assistance. The EOC will be monitoring the situation closely overnight and any decision to evacuate will be communicated as soon as possible.”

For residents in the Hokitika town centre, sandbags are still available to protect homes and businesses. We have made a large number of bags available for sandbags. If anyone is unsure about taking sandbags, they should contact Westland District Council Emergency Operating Centre Operations Manager 027 568 9022 .

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