7am Friday - The Environment Canterbury Flood Controller has confirmed the Rakaia River is now at a safe level and the self-evacuation advisory has been lifted.

Stay informed via Environment Canterbury
https://www.ecan.govt.nz/home/flood-warning

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10.00pm Thursday- FLOOD ADVISORY UPDATE

Heavy rain in the headwaters has caused the Rakaia River to rise rapidly and the river is now in significant flood.

Because of the high volume of water there is a risk the Rakaia River may break out onto State Highway 1 and further downstream at the Rakaia Huts

Environment Canterbury and Ashburton District Council are recommending voluntary evacuation of people and stock of adjacent areas as shown in the flood model maps. This includes the North and South Rakaia Huts and rural land adjacent to the river downstream of State Highway 1.

We advise people in the affected areas, or anyone who is feeling unsafe, to self-evacuate now and stay with friends and family if you can.

Flood warning updates can be found here - https://www.ecan.govt.nz/home/flood-warning

5pm Final update for the day

With the red warning now lapsed and the worst of the weather behind us, Mayor Elect Liz McMillan says the Ashburton District has come through without major damage.

“Thankfully the winds weren’t as damaging as forecast for our area, but our thoughts are with the communities elsewhere in New Zealand who have been badly impacted by this event.

"Thank you to everyone for taking the warnings seriously and acting with commonsense today. I also want to thank all the emergency services personnel who have been on high alert and responded as needed."

Council staff and contractors have the Methven water treatment plant back in action, after a suspected lightning strike caused an electrical issue that led to the plant shutting down.

We are still asking residents on the Methven and Methven Springfield schemes to use water conservatively tonight, so the reservoirs have a chance to fill up again.

The water tanker with clean drinking water will remain outside the Methven Medical Centre overnight as a contingency.

Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) is still concerned about the risk of wildfires, so remember that a total ban on outdoor fires and fireworks remains in force.

And, if you’re travelling this long weekend, please take care on the roads – there is significant damage to the State Highway network and multiple closures across the South Island. Check the  NZTA Journey Planner website  for details.

This is likely to be our last update for this event, unless the situation changes.

Weather forecast

The Red Strong Wind Warnings and Orange Heavy Rain warnings covering the Ashburton District have now lapsed.

Fire and fireworks ban

Fire and Emergency NZ have issued a total ban on open fires and fireworks across the whole of Canterbury until 8am on 27 Monday October. This means no new fires at all, for any reason, and no fireworks.

They ask every landowner, agricultural contractor, forestry manager and lifestyle block owner to help them avoid more fires starting, or reigniting from previous burns.

Anyone who has had an outdoor fire since the beginning of September is asked to check today that it is completely out. If there is any sign of heat or smoke, please act immediately to fully wet down the site. If this is not possible, call 111 so that firefighters can assist.

Rivers and Flooding

Rainfall has ceased in the alpine areas.  High flood flows are now receding in the upper parts of the alpine catchments.  Flood flows are now passing through the lower parts of the rivers this morning (Friday) and are now starting to recede.

Environment Canterbury will continue to monitor river flows, and our flood protection infrastructure throughout today (Friday).

Farmers adjacent to flood affected rivers should continue to monitor their own situation as flows recede.

Electricity

There’s been significant power cuts across parts of Canterbury, including several outages in the Ashburton District. If you come across downed lines, stay clear and assume any downed lines are live and potentially dangerous.

Report downed lines immediately to EA Networks on 0800 430 460 and check the EA Networks website for real-time information on any outages that may be occurring.

Council Facilities

The Ashburton Recovery Park is closed but expected to reopen Friday.

iHub Methven is closed but expected to reopen Friday.

Council Stockwater Network

The wind and rain has caused problems for our stockwater network and we're having issues keeping the flow up at some intake channels. Flows may be impacted

Stay Informed:

• Follow the Council and Canterbury CDEM Facebook pages for further updates.
• View the latest MetService Weather Warnings - metservice.com/warnings
• Road closures will be shown on our live road network map
• EA Networks Power Outage Updates - Power Outages
• Radio New Zealand is the official civil defence lifeline radio broadcaster - Ashburton frequency: 101.3 FM
• Text your post code to 4196 for free Council text alerts (Ashburton District only).
• Use the Snap, Send, Solve app or call 03 307 7700 to report any issues to the Council.

2pm Update:

As forecast, we have experienced strong winds across parts of the district, particularly in the High Country.

For the Canterbury Plains, strong winds could still occur, so we encourage people to remain vigilant and stay safe until the weather warnings are officially lifted. All of Canterbury remains under a State of Emergency.

Residents on the Methven and Methven/Springfield drinking water supply are being asked to conserve water, after the supply’s treatment plant shut down unexpectedly.  A water tanker has been sent to Methven, as a contingency plan while contractors continue to work on the electrical fault at the plant. The tanker will be outside the Methven Medical Centre and provide potable (drinking) water. Please bring your own containers to fill.

Council is investigating what caused the shutdown, but there is water in the plant’s reservoirs currently to handle essential use. That means households are asked to use water only for drinking, cooking, showering and flushing the toilet until the situation is resolved. A text message has also been sent to those in the affected areas that are subscribed to the Council’s 4196 text alert system.

There’s been significant power cuts across parts of Canterbury, including several outages in the Ashburton District. People should remain well clear of any fallen lines and report them immediately to EA Networks on 0800 430 460.

You can also view a live outage map on the EA Networks website.

NZTA are reporting hazardous conditions across the State Highway network, with debris flying across roads in places. Multiple highways are now closed and NZTA continues to urge people to avoid travel.

The wind and rain have caused problems at various intakes on the Council’s stockwater network. Rangers are working on the issue but flows may be impacted.

iHub Methven and the Resource Recovery Parks in Ashburton and Rakaia will remain closed for the day.

Heavy rain has been falling in the headwaters of the major Canterbury alpine rivers (Waiau-uha, Hurunui, Waimakariri, Rakaia, Rangitata, and Waitaki headwaters).

Flows are expected to increase in the lower parts from this evening.  Based on the current forecast, Environment Canterbury does not expect major out-of-river flooding in our district.

What you can do:

• Check your property for loose items, and secure objects such as trampolines, outdoor furniture, bins and anything else that can get picked up by the wind.
• When parking your vehicle, be aware of any surroundings which could pose risk.
• Bring your pets inside and check your stock have safe shelter.
• Stay well clear of parks, reserves, river trails and any other areas with tall trees.
• Stay well clear of downed power lines and treat them as live at all times.
• Charge your devices (and electric vehicles), in case of power outages.
• Avoid lighting fires and check old burn piles for smouldering embers. They should be completely extinguished and cold to the touch.
• Civil Defence will monitor conditions through the day, stay informed at the links at the bottom of this article.
• If at any time you, your family and/or your property are at risk, immediately contact emergency services on 111.