Council staff are checking parks and open spaces today for damage after yesterday’s severe winds.

A tree in the Ashburton Domain on Walnut Avenue split down its trunk and will be removed, while a Council contractor is in Methven this morning cleaning up broken branches and dealing with tree damage.

Chief Executive Hamish Riach said staff would be looking for broken and dangling branches, or trees leaning noticeably or uprooted, or with cracks.

“There are a few older trees on a watch list that staff regularly assess after any wind event and we will be looking at them in the next few days, as there could new wind damage.

“When staff assess trees for damage they are also looking at younger trees because some damage is not immediately visible.

“We were fortunate that we took down the second gum tree near Woolworths on Wednesday and that removed the risk of that particular tree falling and causing issues on the state highway.”

Council is also continuing to monitor the Methven drinking water treatment plant, after a suspected lightning strike shut the plant down yesterday morning. Contractors restored essential wiring by late afternoon, and monitored the plant until after midnight as it resumed normal operations.

They will be back on site today to replace more electrical components.

The plant’s two 560 cubic metre reservoirs have refilled overnight, and the water tanker sent to Methven yesterday has been recalled.

“We thank the people of Methven who responded to our call yesterday to use water conservatively while the plant was brought back to life and everyone can use water as they normally would,” Mr Riach said.

Late last night Council issued a voluntary evacuation advisory for the South Rakaia Huts as the Rakaia River threatened to burst its banks at the rivermouth, however Civil Defence was not required to assist anyone wanting to leave. The river did not breach.

“The South Rakaia Huts community has been working with Council over the past couple of years on an emergency plan and it was good to see residents taking steps to activate that. They knew how to keep themselves safe,” he said.

The advisory is no longer in force, with the river level dropping from this morning.

The district’s roading network is functioning as normal, with no damage reported.

“There’ll obviously be more traffic this long Labour weekend, so please take care. If you’re venturing out of the district, then check NZ Transport Agency’s Journey Planner to make sure you can get to your destination, though most state highways are expected to be back open today.”