Firefighters are responding to a landslide at a residential property in Oamaru's Tay St as sodden conditions continue to cause issues in Waitaki District.
In a post to social media, Waitaki District Council said the landslide was reported at 3.11pm.
"Everyone at the property has evacuated safely," the post read.
Building inspectors will be at the property checking for any damage.
A state of emergency will remain in place for at least another day for the Waitaki District, which looks to be in line for some more heavy rain.
The council is encouraging residents to be prepared and use any sandbags they already have.
Sandbags are available at the Eden St car park in Oamaru and from the Mill Reserve in Palmerston.
The council also suggested people clear leaves and debris from drains and gutters around their property and move vehicles and valuables away from flood-prone areas.
In a statement this morning the Waitaki District Council said it was expecting another weather event, which “might exacerbate the already wet conditions”.“The Waitaki Emergency Operations Centre continues to operate this morning with an overnight assessment confirming conditions have stabilised and the immediate threat to public safety has reduced,” it reads.
"The EOC and staff will be ready to escalate if needed.”
MetService this morning has issued a heavy rain watch for coastal Otago north of the Clutha River, which takes in Dunedin and Oamaru. It covers 12 hours from 3am to 3pm on Wednesday.
Waitaki District Mayor Melanie Tavendale said in the statement while the state of emergency declaration was serving its purpose “this doesn’t mean the work is over”.
“Our focus now shifts to monitoring any weather developments, supporting our community through recovery and restoring services as quickly and safely as possible."
Clean-up work was under way and the public were urged to remain cautious, as a number of roads remain affected.
Sand bags were available at the Eden St carpark.
Residents were encouraged to continue reporting any issues such as flooding damage, blocked drains, fallen trees and damaged roads through the Antenno app or by calling the council.
Residents slam response
Meanwhile, questions continue as to whether the council took too long to react to the impact of the storm.
Rain inundated coastal Otago yesterday, while snow turned inland parts of the region into idyllic wintry scenes.
In the Waitaki, about 20 people self-evacuated from flooded homes, while Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews responded to 84 weather-related callouts between noon Sunday and 1.30pm yesterday, mostly in and around Oamaru.
There was severe surface flooding and widespread road closures.
Waitaki District Council public information management lead Chloe Searle said at least two care packages had been arranged for two families who had been provided accommodation after their homes flooded, she said.
Nine Oamaru properties were inspected, one of which received a yellow sticker, restricting entry.
Some Waitaki residents were angry yesterday over what they called a lack of communication from the council as parts of the district flooded.
Residents online said there was ‘‘zero communication’’ from the council until the state of emergency was announced about 4.25am yesterday, despite severe rain and wind conditions four hours earlier.
North Otago resident Adrian McCauley was up at 2am monitoring the water levels that rose to a ‘‘scary’’ 3m at a creek by his property near Pukeuri, north of Oamaru.
‘‘Pardon my French but it was f...... terrifying.
‘‘I’ve got kids and their safety is my priority: the last thing I want is for them to be in a situation like this.
‘‘We had to evacuate and there was nothing online at that time from the council on where we could go.
‘‘Luckily, I have parents here we could go to ... my parents were terrified by the wild weather and my mum said they felt so alone and abandoned as there was nothing from the council on what to do or where people might evacuate to.’’
The council said in a statement an emergency operations centre was set up about 2am.
Thirteen people and four dogs were sheltering at a community-led evacuation centre at the Network Waitaki Event Centre.
‘‘This weekend MetService issued an orange weather warning for coastal Waitaki, indicating rainfall was due from Sunday evening and overnight,’’ the council said.
‘‘However, between 10pm and 4am around 80.4mm of rain fell — after much less had fallen earlier throughout the day.
‘‘The forecast did not predict the much heavier rain, which began around 10pm.’’
The average rainfall for the district for the entire month of July was 50mm.
‘‘They’ve made good decisions in a timely way.’’
‘‘It’s always difficult to stand up [and respond] in the early hours of the morning — without a doubt that comes with challenges,’’ Mr Mitchell said.
‘‘There’s been no loss of life. The important thing, obviously, first and foremost is protection to life and then protection of property.
‘‘In my view, they’ve done a good job.’’
The Mayoral Relief Fund would be available if requested by Waitaki Mayor Mel Tavendale to help fund immediate needs, Mr Mitchell said.
Many Oamaru residents posted videos and comments online detailing the damage and debris caused by flooding from drain water at their homes and nearby garages and properties.
Weaver St was among the areas that took a battering.
Resident Karen Newton said it was the worst flooding she had seen in the area in a decade.
Ms Newton, who works for landscaping company KSouth, spoke to the Otago Daily Times while standing in knee-deep floodwater surrounding her home.
She hoped the flooding would subside, but in the meantime she had her boss help pump the water out of her property.
‘‘I gave him a ring this morning and said ‘I don’t think I’ll make it to work, I’m flooded’.
‘‘Not that there’ll be much gardening going on today.
‘‘But he’s been great. He came in with the pump and got it sorted and hopefully we’ll get a few of these properties a bit drier.’’
Neighbour Michelle Batchelor said yesterday morning she hoped the worst was over.
‘‘I’m hoping, but who knows?’’
Her backyard was not in good shape.
‘‘I’ve got guinea pigs.
‘‘I had them in cages out the back and last night I brought them inside — just as well because they would have been drowned today.
‘‘I’ve got fish in a pond out the back — can’t even see into the pond so I hope they’re not swimming outside of the pond.
‘‘So, it has been a bit of a disaster.’’
Businesses also became waterlogged along Thames Highway and Fenz was on hand early yesterday to pump water from Resene ColorShop.
Flooding in Oamaru’s historic precinct was described as ‘‘heartbreaking’’.
Steampunk NZ Festival chairwoman Lea Campbell said priceless items were destroyed after floodwater entered the festival’s storage shed in Tyne St.
The New Zealand Whisky Collection operations manager Hineau Mackenzie said they had only been in their new premises at 4 Wansbeck St for one week.
Now, everything that was touching the floor in the new shop was water damaged, she said.
Meanwhile, several vehicles on State Highway 1 north of Oamaru succumbed to floodwaters.
Mrs Tavendale said declaring a state of emergency ensured the co-ordination and resources needed to support the community were available.
‘‘Our priority is the safety and wellbeing of everyone affected.
‘‘We know this has been an incredibly difficult day for many people.
‘‘I want to thank our emergency services, council staff, volunteers and community members who have been working tirelessly to support those affected.’’ — Additional reporting: Staff reporters
