Flooding closes Dunedin roads

Heavy persistent rain throughout the weekend  caused extensive surface flooding and closed several roads around Dunedin and Mosgiel last night.

About 50mm of rain fell yesterday in  Dunedin but began to ease in the evening, when MetService lifted its heavy rain warning for Dunedin and North Otago. Late last night, Emergency Management Otago director Chris Hawker said staff were not in the civil defence bunker, and were "reasonably confident" the flooding was going to dissipate.

"At this stage we’re not anticipating an emergency, but if it gets more serious we’re ready to activate."

The Dunedin City Council this morning says several roads are still closed around the city, owing to flooding or unsafe conditions.

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Highcliff Rd on the Otago Peninsula was closed overnight between Sandymount and Seaton Rds due to concerns about a potential landslip near Seven Sisters. Emergency services were also responding at 10.30pm to reports a tree had fallen on Portobello Rd near Weller St, blocking both lanes. A police spokeswoman said officers and Dunedin City Council  contractors were responding to reports about 9.30pm  of "deep water all over the road" on Old Brighton Rd.

Contractors and homeowners were working to clear blocked drains on Forbury Rd after extensive surface flooding about 9.30pm. A City Care worker said contractors were busy across the city doing "damage control".

Further up the hill, on Norfolk St, fire crews were responding to reports water was flooding into a home. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said DCC contractors had taken over dealing with the incident. Other roads blocked because of surface flooding were Neil St between Christie and Carnforth St in Abbotsford, Gladfield Rd in Mosgiel at Ford 704, and Flagstaff/Whare Flat Rd closed at Ford 701 and 702.

Emergency services were called to reports of flooding at Radius Fulton rest-home on Hillside Rd, but plumbers at the scene said it was a false alarm. On North Rd about 9.30pm, water was bubbling up through manhole covers and causing surface flooding at intersections north of Mechanic St.

Water was also beginning to pool on Cumberland St near St David St.

A police spokeswoman said two cars collided at the intersection of Castle and Hanover Sts about 8.30pm, but there were no injuries.

Otago Regional Council  natural hazards manager Jean-Luc Payan said last night he was keeping a close eye on river levels, but there was not thought to be any risk of the Taieri River breaking its banks.

DCC spokesman Graham McKerracher said he was reasonably confident the surface flooding would not persist for  long. However, he said an "issue with the drains on Portsmouth Dr" meant there was a risk of surface flooding near the Edgar Centre just before 4am today. 

george.block@odt.co.nz