4 Jan 2011

More rain would help Canvastown flood clean-up

4:22 pm on 4 January 2011

A rural fire chief in Marlborough says a little more rain could actually help with the clean-up after last week's flood, the worst in more than a century.

Civil Defence says 13 houses have been flooded out at Canvastown, 10 kilometres west of Havelock.

The settlement's rural fire chief, Denis Marfell, says he and two other firefighters have been hosing out some of the worst-affected houses, which are caked with mud throughout.

Carpets and furniture have been removed, he says, and "it's just mud on bare floorboards".

A bit more rain would be welcome to wash the mud, dust and debris off roads and paddocks, Mr Marfell says, but "the sun's been shining every day" since the flood.

MetService is forecasting some rain for the area on Thursday and Friday.

Mr Marfell says locals have been pitching in to clean up each other's houses and the town hall, where water went as high as the top of the kitchen stove.