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“Extreme caution” is urged on roads and trails as the Waimate district is reeling from the effects of a severe electrical storm that hit parts of South Canterbury on Sunday.
All fords in the district are off-limits after a car trying to cross one was swept into a river, while Hakataramea Highway / State Highway 82 remains closed midway between Waimate and Kurow after the water broke. the highway collapsed and collapsed and the district council is inside. flooding cleanup mode at its own headquarters in Waimate, predicting a significant disruption to its services over the next several weeks.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transportation Agency system manager Pete Connors said washing an existing 1.2 meter diameter Armco steel pipe had caused the problem in SH82.
JOHN BISSET / Stuff
The approaches to this bridge near Parsons Rock between Otemetata and Kurow were washed away, closing State Highway 83.
“We have asked for a replacement,” Connors said.
The highway was expected to reopen Wednesday night.
A detour route, outlined on the Waka Kotahi website, added an additional 30 minutes to travel times with motorists forced to head further south past Glenavy before turning inland.
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However, flooding also blocked Otematata-Kurow Rd / SH83 at a bridge over a creak near Parsons Rd, further inland from Kurow in the Waitaki River Valley, forcing motorists to cross the Aviemore dams and Benmore, resurfacing in SH83 in Otematata.
“While the full extent of the work cannot be confirmed, or costs estimated, until floodwaters subside, we anticipate having a team on site Tuesday to begin removing debris and loose material, before rebuilding the road “. Connors said about the closing of SH83.
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
The carpet was raised in the Waimate District Council building on Queen St due to flooding.
MetService meteorologist Hordur Thordarson said a severe thunderstorm, accompanied by torrential rain and hail, was detected near Waimate around 2 p.m. Sunday. It moved “gradually” northwest along the east coast of the South Island, before heading ashore at Timaru around 4.30pm.
About 200 lightning strikes struck Waimate and Timaru districts during the storm, and although only nine millimeters of rain were recorded, Thordarson suspected that the strongest downpours did not reach the gauge.
Waimate District Council Executive Director Stuart Duncan said the storm had caused the Council building, library and shops along the city’s main street to flood, in addition to dumping sediment and debris into The paths.
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
A flooded ford near Waimate on Sunday.
People should exercise “extreme caution” when moving around the district, Duncan said, adding that there would be a “significant disruption” to council services for the next four to six weeks as damaged furniture was replaced, the building was dehumidified and he got up and replaced the carpet.
“We will provide services to the best of our ability,” Duncan said.
“Our services will resume, but there will be no walk-in capacity for 10-14 days. Meetings will be by appointment only. “
The water had also soaked the reception area of the library, but did not reach further inside, although Duncan and the rest of the staff were “deeply concerned” about the effect that humidity could have on the books.
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
The flooding at the Waimate District Council building is expected to cause a “significant disruption” over the next four to six weeks.
Both the council building and the library were expected to reopen to the public on January 18, although it would take a little longer to return to the “pre-flood state”.
Duncan said concerns had been raised that the city’s drainage system had failed during the storm, but fears were alleviated when flooding began to subside “rapidly” as soon as the rain subsided.
“When nature is released, there is no defense.”
The council still planned to re-evaluate the systems in play during the storm at a later date, to determine if there were ways to improve them, Duncan said.
He was “grateful” to the firefighters and others who collaborated to help clear the flood on Sunday.
“I was in traffic control on the main street, knee-deep in water for an hour and a half, and I was impressed by the number of people offering water transfer pumps, cups of coffee, all kinds of assistance, ” he said.
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
The driveway of a home near Waimate was flooded by torrential rain.
“The community spirit was very high.”
The storm capped off a weekend of extreme weather for South Canterbury and the rest of New Zealand.
MetService meteorologist Andy Best said the weather in south Canterbury on Monday was “good, apart from the afternoon clouds,” with a high of 21 degrees Celsius. Tuesday was expected to be “mostly cloudy” with the possibility of rain at night, before the “good times” on Wednesday.
Thursday’s high of 23 ° C would drop when northwesterly winds turned from the south in the afternoon, bringing rain to the region.
