Dunedin City Emergency Management Operations Centre incident controller Chris Henderson acknowledged issues emerged in Mosgiel, due to operational issues and the sheer volume of rain in the area.
The area was hit with 74.6mm of rain on Sunday, and another 43.7mm up until 10am yesterday, leaving many properties flooded, many roads closed temporarily, a handful of buildings damaged and many cars flooded.
Staff at Farmlands in Dukes Rd spent much of yesterday mopping up floodwater, and the Mosgiel Library also came very close to being flooded.
Dozens of rental cars in a carpark at Dunedin Airport were also flooded.
In Mosgiel Montrose St resident Craig Shaw said his property flooded. He blamed a lack of council maintenance on the drainage system in the area.
‘‘A lot of this flooding could have been avoided if they’d just kept the drains clean.
‘‘I had a look at them yesterday [Sunday] and they’re absolutely terrible.
‘‘With the winds that we’ve had out here, it’s caked the drain covers in leaves and brush and that sort of stuff.
‘‘So when it starts raining, it runs down off the road and into properties. That’s the problem.
‘‘They probably need to get around a wee bit more with the old [street cleaner] truck and give those gutters a bit of a cleanup.’’
He said it was the second time he had been affected by flooding in recent years.
‘‘I worked in South Dunedin when it flooded the last time [in 2024], and our shop flooded.
‘‘They said they were going to do something about it then.’’
Resident Carla Baldwin said it was a relatively new phenomenon.
‘‘About a year ago, they put new footpaths and new drains in here, and ever since then, it floods whenever it rains.
‘‘So we know that it can flood, but I’ve never seen it like it was this morning.
‘‘It came right up to the top step at my front door, and my garage got flooded.
‘‘It was scary.’’
But 20 minutes after her neighbour went out and cleared several drains in the street, the water had drained away.
‘‘Maybe they [the council] need to come back and have a look at these drains because they’re obviously not great,’’ she said.
Across the street, Bronwyn Robertson’s car was inundated by the floodwater.
Her Mazda CX-5 SUV was parked on the street overnight, and yesterday morning she discovered water was pooling in the footwells.
Fortunately, the car was insured, she said.
Gordon Rd resident Lyn Grant also believed her property had flooded because the drains in her area were not working properly.
‘‘All the leaves and that, they need to do something about them.
‘‘That’s what’s blocking the drains up. That’s what’s caused it [the water] all to come through here, I think.’’
All Septic & Drainage owner Gary Gardiner said the plumbing situation in Mosgiel was ‘‘pretty bad’’ yesterday.
He said many septic tanks had been flooded with water and it meant people could not use their toilets or showers.
‘‘Everything’s backed up to the houses and stuff like that.
‘‘Especially in Dukes Rd and that. It’s under water and I’ve got heaps of callouts for people with overflowing septic tanks, so we’re just running to keep up.’’
He said it could take up to 48 hours for the water to recede enough that people could use their toilets and showers again.
Reid Ave resident Colin McLeod said his street was closed because of flooding overnight, and Fire and Emergency New Zealand appliances were called in to try to pump away some of the water.
But that did not stop ‘‘rubberneckers’’ in four-wheel-drive vehicles from driving past at high speeds and sending waves lapping up against the front doors of several residents.
The 83-year-old said he was fortunate to have sandbags in place, but he was angry drivers could be so inconsiderate at such a stressful time.
Mr Henderson said the council had now moved into ‘‘recovery mode’’, and damage was still being assessed.
‘‘We acknowledge issues emerged in Mosgiel, due to operational issues and the sheer volume of rain in the area, but our teams worked hard to deal with these as quickly as possible.’’
He said staff and contractors were busy before the arrival of the heavy rain.
Critical catch pits and culverts were inspected and cleared across the city as needed, including in Mosgiel and South Dunedin.
‘‘In addition, we check gutters and sweep as required, to help prevent material from accumulating around catch pits and restricting drainage.
‘‘It is worth noting that during yesterday’s weather event, strong winds resulted in a significant amount of vegetation being blown into gutters after the preparatory sweeping had been completed.
‘‘As a result, some leaf litter and other vegetation accumulated in gutters during the event.’’
He said Mosgiel and surrounding areas received the heaviest deluges overnight — which were greater than forecast — contributing to the issues faced there.
‘‘Weather events like these can be wild and unpredictable, with significant consequences, even with the best-laid plans, but we’re incredibly proud of the efforts of all those who contributed,’’ he said.
