Otago: What you need to know

Streets and buildings in parts of Dunedin, particularly in the south, have been flooded after a night and a day of heavy rain.

Other parts of Otago - including Clutha and Mosgiel - have also been affected.

Photo: RNZ / Ian Telfer

Flooding

• Many streets in south Dunedin were flooded today - either partially or fully submerged.
• The Dunedin City Council has asked residents to avoid driving or walking through floodwaters, particularly those that may be contaminated with wastewater.
• The council said that the city's water supply remained safe to drink.
• In Mosgiel, the Otago Regional Council said late on Wednesday that the Silver Stream was not expected to flood the township.
• It said, however, that flows in the Pomahaka and Kakanui Rivers were high and would continue to rise overnight.
• There was some surface flooding from the channel of Lindsay Creek on North Road just upstream of the Hospice.
• The Taieri River was still expected to go over the Gordon Road spillway but the quantity was not expected to be high and the duration was not expected to be long.

Check the Dunedin City Council's website and the Otago Regional Council's website for flooding and river level updates. Residents can also visit water.orc.govt.nz, call 0800 426 463 or receive flood alerts via Twitter.

Weather

• A heavy rain warning has been kept in place for Dunedin and Clutha.
• Between 9pm and 2am, MetService is expecting another 30 to 40 millimetres of rain to fall around Dunedin - particularly in the ranges and near the city.
• The rain is expected to ease slowly overnight.

For the latest severe weather warnings, visit MetService's website.

Power cuts

• Aurora Energy cut power today to about 150 homes in Dunedin's East Taieri after flooding submerged electrical equipment.
• The company said the power would remain off until the water level subsided.
• It said it was important for people to treat all electricity lines as live at all times, and to report any problems with power supply.

Roads

• At 10pm, 19 roads were closed around Dunedin.
• Motorists have been advised to avoid the southern motorway between Mosgiel and Andersons Bay Road unless travel there is absolutely necessary.
• At 10pm, State Highway 1's Concord Southbound Offramp was closed and the traffic lights at the intersection of Cumberland Street and St Andrew Street were down due to the weather.
• In other parts of Otago, the NZTA has also issued a warning for drivers, with flooding on parts of State Highway 8 between the Lindis Pass and Cromwell.
• At least nine roads have closed in Clutha: Lakeside Road at the railway underbridge, Akatore Road at Big Creek, Papatowai Highway at Caberfeidh Hill, Karoro Creek and Mt Wallace, Back, Springfield, Allison and Remote Roads.

For the latest updates on highway closures, visit nzta.govt.nz. For the latest updates on other road closures, visit dunedin.govt.nz/council-online/road conditions.

Buses

• Bus routes in Dunedin are being redirected, with some services cancelled - check updates here.

Schools

• Seaside primary school St Clair closed today and asked parents to pick up pupils.
• Bathgate Park School, which is about 2 kms from the sea, did not officially close but said most students had been picked up early by their parents.
• In Mosgiel, children were helped by the army to leave Abbotsford School.

Rest homes and hospitals

• The Radius Fulton rest home on Hillside Road was evacuated, with staff looking for alternative accommodation for about 75 people.
• The Southern District Health Board (DBH) set up an emergency operations centre in response to flooding in Dunedin.
• All critical areas at Dunedin Hospital were functioning well on Wednesday - leaks in some buildings were being repaired.
• There was some flooding in the hospital's lower ground loading dock.
• A DHB spokesperson said staff were assisting a number of aged care residential facilities at risk of flooding and were trying to identify placement beds, if required.

A snapshot of MetService's rain radar at about 2.50pm. Photo: MetService