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Last modified: 10 Jun 2021 5:56pm

the Kowai River with banks slipped into the river and trees floating in the flood water

Selwyn Civil Defence and the Council are continuing to respond to the flooding event from last week.

The rain caused significant flooding along Selwyn’s rivers and damage and disruption to roads, water supplies and homes.

Selwyn Civil Defence Controller and Recovery Manager Al Lawn says the focus over the coming weeks will be assisting people in flood-damaged homes, getting roads and water back up and running and providing support to communities badly affected, including the rural community.

“There’s a big clean up to come. The community has responded really well to get through the flooding, now we need to look after our people who have lost homes or had their farms and businesses damaged, to help them get back on their feet.”

Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton says he is proud to see the way the community has come together.

“It’s been great to see the way the community has pulled together once again, taking people into their homes, helping out in the rain, checking on their neighbours and so much more. There’s a long way to go, but we’re a resilient district and I know we will keep supporting each other in the months to come.”

Need help? – please see our need help page

Welfare support provided

Staff and volunteers have visited more than 428 properties to check on people, with more door to door checks being carried out this week.

Teams including Council Civil Defence staff and Community Response Teams along with volunteers from the Rural Support Trust, Salvation Army, Lions Club, and student volunteers from Canterbury University and Lincoln University have been visiting properties to offer support.

NIWA figures show almost 400ml of rain fell in the area around Springfield on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Environment Canterbury river flow data showed at the height of the floods 447 cubic meters of water was flowing through Coes Ford every second, compared to an average of 2 cubic metres per second over the previous month.

A man in yellow high vis jacket conducting a welfare check on a houseAround 200 households were evacuated from during the flooding with support from Civil Defence and Fire and Emergency New Zealand where necessary. Selwyn residents also assisted each other to evacuate. Civil Defence Centres were set up in Darfield and Lincoln. Thirty houses have been identified so far that were damaged during the flooding and 16 people remain out of their homes and receiving support from the Council’s Civil Defence welfare team.

Water

Eight water supplies in the district were affected by the flooding and all are now running again, with boil water notices in place for five supplies – the Acheron, Hororata, Malvern Hills Dalethorpe, Malvern Hills Hartleys and Springfield water supplies. For the latest water notices visit our water notices page.

The Council has supplied more than 8600 1.5 litre bottles of bottled water and around 132,000 litres of drinking water from drinking water tankers to people on affected water supplies in Hororata, Windwhistle, Glentunnel and Springfield. A temporary shower block is also in place in Springfield next to the Tawera Hall and access to washing machines was arranged while the Do Not Consume water notice was in place.

Civil Defence is also supplying water to five primary schools (Windwhistle, Hororata, Glentunnel, Sheffield and Springfield) in the affected areas as part of the ongoing response and to reduce the pressure and stress for families as their children return to school. The intention is for this continue while the Boil Water Notices are in place in these areas.

Roads

A digger clearing a slip on Malvern Hills RoadThe majority of roads around the district are open, with restrictions on Algidus and Bluff Roads, while Benmore and Harper Roads are accessible to 4-wheel-drive vehicles only. Fords have begun reopening - please check our road closures map for the latest closures.

Selwyn Civil Defence and Council roading teams continue to advise caution on rural roads as there is still water and debris in some places and contractors working on the roads. Please follow all temporary caution and road works signage.

Please check our road closures map for the latest information on closures of local roads. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency will update State Highway closures.