Cyclone Gabrielle: Moutoa floodgates opened following torrential rain

The Moutoa floodgates between Foxton and Shannon have been opened as Horizons Regional Council emergency management staff continue to respond to the effect of Cyclone Gabrielle across the region.

Horizons opened the floodgates on Tuesday night relieve pressure on the bottom stem of the Manawatū River, as the region deals with torrential rain from Cyclone Gabrielle.

The bottom stem of the Manawatū River is windy and slows water down. Diverting flood flows down the spillway reduces of water overflowing into peoples’ properties, but this doesn’t have any impact on water levels upstream.

River levels in the Rangitīkei, Ōroua and Tararua district were all starting to peak and recede.

Horizons Regional Council regional group controller Craig Grant said the focus on Wednesday was accessing welfare needs, lifelines and flood protection infrastructure.

READ MORE:
* Cyclone Gabrielle: Manawatū district council opens floodgates following torrential rain
* ‘Stream went from 10m wide to 500m’ – rising river levels hit Tararua
* Flooding causes SH56 closure, Moutoa floodgate opening pushed back

“Welfare includes checking in on people and livestock, as we’re aware that there are a number of displaced people across the region and low-lying rural properties adjacent to rivers that have been impacted.

“We’ll be working with our city [and] district councils on this, as well as with addressing critical lifelines infrastructure needs such as roads, power, water and telecommunications. We’ll also be out assessing flood protection infrastructure to determine what areas may need repairs or maintenance.

“Our thoughts are with people who are facing the reality of flood damage on their properties and aim to have an update on sources of welfare assistance later today. We will be starting to think about recovery over the next few days as the initial response stage passes.

“Once again we ask people to stay out of and away from floodwaters. While they’re a novelty to some, they should be treated as contaminated and can sweep people away unexpectedly.”

Grant says there was more rain [on Tuesday night] than forecasted, highlighting how tricky the cyclone has been to predict.

“[On Wednesday morning] people are likely to see some surface flooding around and rivers remain full.

“All our rivers have peaked and are dropping so although they are still high, they have coped with the extra rainfall we received overnight. Areas that we were keeping a close watch on such as Tangimoana, Te Arakura Rd near Feilding and Te Matai Rd near Palmerston North are no longer a concern as rivers recede.

“In terms of key infrastructure the Kopane spillway stopped operating overnight as the Ōroua River dropped.

“The Moutoa floodgates are open and will remain so until at least [Thursday]. A reminder that these floodgates don’t impact water levels upstream, they simply provide a shortcut for floodwaters to get to the sea in the lower reaches.

“Due to cellular telecommunication issues we lost connection to our monitoring sites in Tararua [on Tuesday].

“A team is in the Tararua [on Wednesday] to reconnect these sites, although a number of others on the east coast are still out of action. We’re working as quickly as we can to get the impacted sites back up and running, however, it’s challenging with the number of roads and bridges that are impassable.

“Finally, we are expecting some more scattered rain across the region [on Wednesday], but we expect our systems to have enough capacity. However, we’re keeping an eye on the Matarawa and Kai Iwi systems in Whanganui, and Whangaehu and Turakina rivers as there is likely to be greater localised rainfall in those areas.”

Up-to-date information on river heights and rainfall is available via Horizons 24-hour toll-free Waterline 0508 4 FLOOD or its website.

Updates will also be posted to the Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence Facebook page.

The Tararua District Council had 43 roads closed on Tuesday morning.

A council statement said the weather was slowly improving, but conditions were still dangerous so asked people to drive carefully if they had to and report hazards to the council.

The council had a list of road statuses on its website.

The Palmerston North City Council asked the public to stay away from the river and other waterways.

“Our awa is very full right now and the river pathway has flooded on both sides. We are expecting more water to come through [on Wednesday] from the Tararua ranges and district.

“The stopbanks are still doing a wonderful job keeping us safe. But we were really concerned to hear how many people went out sightseeing [on Tuesday] night and walking and playing in floodwaters, especially at the end of Maxwells Line.

“Please don’t go near floodwater. If you cannot see the road do not drive through it. Do not play or walkthrough the water as it could be contaminated or have debris.”

Some roads are closed, including by Newbury and Ōpiki.

West End and Central Normal schools, and Awatapu College had closed on Wednesday.

Palmerston North rubbish and recycling collections were expected to start on Wednesday, but the council may need to stop as access to its resource recovery centre has some flooding.

Manawatū District Council staff were assessing its road network and would update its road network map online.

Timona Park remains closed due to the swollen Ōroua River, and Raumai Bridge is still closed until further notice.

If people need help evacuating call 111.

Waka Kotahi’s journey planner and the MetService website are providing updates.

For sandbag and evacuation information contact your local council and listen to your local radio stations for another option for civil defence updates.