02-07-2025
Civil Defence warns Nelson-Tasman flood-affected residents to plan for the worst
Flooding in Brightwater - Tasman District.
Photo:
RNZ/Mark Papalii
Civil Defence is warning people whose properties flooded in the Nelson-Tasman region last week to prepare for potentially being inundated again.
The first of two community meetings is being held in Wakefield at noon, followed by Tapawera at 3pm on Wednesday.
Civil Defence controller Alec Louverdis said plans were underway for the worst case scenario, with orange heavy rain warnings in place from early on Thursday morning.
He said people affected by flooding last week should make plans to stay elsewhere, as officials consider whether to order evacuations.
Louverdis warned the "serious" rain coming on top of the damage and flooding already around the region
could pose a repeat of last week
, despite the expected rain covering a much shorter time frame than the days of heavy rain that wreaked havoc on Friday and Saturday.
"The rivers are still high [and] they are flowing swiftly. They've carved out their new directions, there's a high ground water table [and] everything's absolutely wet," Louverdis said.
"We don't need a lot of rain to make the situation worse."
An aerial view of the flooding in Tapawera.
Photo:
Supplied / Tapawera Volunteer Fire Brigade
No evacuation orders have been issued, but he advised those who had been already affected to plan for the worst and reach out to family, friends or Nelson-Tasman Civil Defence for accommodation.
"We have key staff and resources, we've mobilised the Defence Force, we've got special vehicles, helicopters, special river rescue groups from FENZ that are all on standby... We know where the hotspots are," Louverdis said.
"We're as prepared as we can be."
The region is bracing for more heavy rain starting in the early hours of Thursday, with two MetService heavy rain warnings in place.
There's an orange rain warning for the Tasman District north-west of Motueka beginning at 3am on Thursday, which forecasts 120 to 150mm of rain, but heavier falls of up to 200mm were possible in localised areas.
The warning for the rest of the Nelson-Tasman District south-east of Motueka, and Marlborough north of the Wairau River, expected 80 to 110mm of rain about the Sounds and ranges, and 50 to 80mm elsewhere between 6am and 9pm Thursday.
Civil Defence will be keeping a close on eye on hotspots such as the Motupiko and Brooklands rivers, and townships including Tapawera and Riwaka, but Louverdis said everywhere that flooded last week was potentially at risk.
He was was aware of 10 homes that had been yellow stickered, and one that had been red stickered so far.
Those numbers were significantly down on the numbers of homes that were uninhabitable or had access restricted following the 2022 Nelson floods, Louverdis said.
He could not confirm the number of homes that had sustained damaged but said it would be "in the hundreds", and there was also substantial and extensive damage to land and infrastructure such as roads and bridges.
Another community meeting is planned for Motueka on Friday, but is yet to be confirmed.
