- More than 25,000 PowerNet customers are still without electricity in Southland and South Otago.
- Thousands could be without power until this time next week.
- A state of emergency has been declared in Southland and Clutha.
- Milton and Lawrence could run out of water within hours, the Clutha District Council warns.
- Emergency 111 calls will still be carried on other networks. Even if your phone says 'no service' - try anyway.
- Generators and resources are being moved to Southland.
Thousands of people in Southland and South Otago face being without power until this time next week after the region was devastated by strong winds.
States of local emergency have been declared in Southland and Clutha amid widespread power outages and wind damage.
PowerNet chief executive Paul Blue said this afternoon the focus had been on understanding the extent of the damage.
“Essentially the backbone of our Southland and south Otago electricity networks are broken - and we have to repair the backbone before we can begin to stand them back up.”
“In some cases, the wind gusts were so strong they simply blew our poles and lines over.
“The sheer scale of this damage means we will be working throughout the weekend, and well into next week, before all customers have power back on. We are also working with neighbouring lines businesses and contractors to support our teams with the network restoration."
In a statement just after 7pm, Emergency Management Southland said PowerNet and network providers were working hard to restore power and telecommunications across the region.
"They are advising that outages may continue for the next 3 to 4 days, however remote rural areas could be without power for up to a week."
PowerNet had had some success today restoring electricity to small parts of its networks, with a focus on wastewater, water and healthcare services. Some of the challenges faced by the PowerNet team included access to fuel, telecommunications networks and road closures.
"Please only call PowerNet if you find a broken pole, downed lines or trees across lines."
By the numbers
The Power Company Limited network (Southland)
Total Customers: 38,200
Customers without power: 17,800
Usual Demand on the network: 124 megawatts
Current demand on the network: 36 megawatts
OtagoNet network (South Otago)
Total Customers: 15,700
Customers without power: 9500
Usual demand on the network: 64 megawatts
Current demand on the network: 34 megawatts
State of Emergency
A state of local emergency has been declared in Southland where towns have no drinking water and thousands are without power.
Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell said the measure was "a precautionary step due to concern about the potential impacts from power outages" from yesterday's storm.
“The state of local emergency will ensure local Civil Defence have access to the emergency powers they need to respond and support emergency services during this event," he said in a statement.
He made the declaration because Southland mayors had yet to be sworn in following recent local elections. “With further bad weather expected for some parts of the country early next week, people should stay up to date with the latest weather information from MetService."
The lack of power means many cell towers across the region are operating on batteries, so people should expect disruptions to their mobile services during the day.
Gore District Council says the winds took out 86 cell towers across Southland. Some will be restored over the weekend, but remote areas may remain without service into next week.
Emergency 111 calls will still be carried on other networks so if your phone says ‘No Service’ try anyway - it can take up to 30 seconds to attach to a new network.
Emergency Management Southland said generators and resources were being moved to Southland and would be prioritised to ensure widest coverage for critical customers.
"If you are using a portable generator, please ensure this has been set up by a registered electrician as these can be dangerous if used incorrectly."
Getting help
• If you have immediate welfare needs, call Emergency Management Southland on 0800 890 127 between 8am and 9pm.
• If you have no cell or internet signal, please listen to the radio – RNZ and local radio stations More FM, The Hits, Hokonui, Radio Southland and Tahu FM
• If you are struggling and need to chat to a trained counsellor, free text 1737 for around the clock support.
• Southland Rural Support Trust can assist rural individuals and their families during trying times. Call them on 0800 787 254 for a free and confidential chat.
Emergency Management Southland Controller Marcus Roy said the impact of power disruptions was the biggest concern.
“There are large parts of the region that are still without power and this is affecting drinking water supplies and communications.”
Environment Southland said power outages were "causing real challenges, and some farmers may have to make the tough call to dump milk.
"If that’s necessary, we’re asking them to use effluent ponds and let our compliance team know so we can follow up later."
Water and wastewater
Several Southland towns have no drinking water and thousands across the South face being without electricity "well into the weekend".
Tuatapere and Ohai are without drinking water due to water treatment plants being down.
A water truck is stationed in Tuatapere opposite Four Square where it will remain overnight on Friday. There is plenty of water onboard.
A water tanker is parked in the Main Street of Ohai overnight, and locals can come to fill containers with drinking water.
Water from it must be boiled before consumption.
"If you have no power use a gas stove or any camping equipment suitable for boiling water," Southland District Council said.
Residents have been asked not to flush, bathe or run taps.
Gore District Council has noticed an "increasing trend" in its water nitrate levels and is asking locals to fill water containers now, just in case.
The pump at Coopers Well is out of operation due to the power cut, and an urgent sample taken this morning showed nitrate levels had increased, the council said.
While it was still within Drinking Water Quality Assurance standards, the council will be upping its lab sampling analysis over the weekend, it said.
“We are advising residents to fill any bottles or containers that you have as a precautionary measure," said general manager critical services Jason Domigan. “If you are pregnant or have a toddler and have any concerns, you may choose to use an alternative source of drinking water as a precaution.”
Mr Domigan said the council's water trailer is parked at the Eccles St playground as a supplementary supply, because supermarkets were running low.
The water treatment plant at Mossburn is operating now and making drinking water.
Nightcaps, Lumsden and Otautau still have water, so residents of nearby towns can also source water from there.
"We do have generators across some of our plants, but there's a shortage of generators around the traps at the moment. We're doing what we can and we're actively monitoring, but it's just important that people to conserve water where they can."
Invercargill mayor-elect Tom Campbell said widespread power outages meant the city's water pumps are being run manually on diesel generators.
Mr Campbell said the state of emergency declaration was a pre-emptive move which could help secure extra support for the city's water systems if needed.
"Most of it is automated and normally {the pumps] get signals to open valves, close valves and so forth.
"But you don't have that at the moment so everything's having to be done manually. It's a huge amount of work - both servicing the diesel generators... but also having individual operators running around doing things that normally would be done from automated systems.
"If the power supply issue goes on too long and we start to have problems with generators, maybe having to go for maintenance, needing additional generators... because of the emergency declaration we can get them more easily quickly from further north."
Across the city he said countless trees were down and some roofs had been torn off, and crews were out clearing the streets.
"We had a lot of debris flying around yesterday... so getting those roads cleared has probably been the number one priority."
Mr Campbell said there were no reports of serious injuries - which was a blessing, given the scale of the damage.
Multiple roads, parks and reserves remain closed around the city, amid downed powerlines and damaged trees.
PowerNet said tens of thousands of properties were affected in Otago and Southland.
"Our crews are focused on making damaged infrastructure like downed lines and poles safe, then restoring electricity to lifeline utilities like water supplies and water treatment plants," it said.
"It is possible that some customers may be without power well into the weekend, or longer, as the extent of the damage becomes clear."
Invercargill and Gore road closures
Road closures in Southland and Otago from yesterday’s severe weather event are now diminishing.
State Highway 6/Dee St in Invercargill between Gala St and Fox St has reopened after a closure yesterday due to the risk from roofing materials being blown onto the road.
State Highway 1/Bluff Highway remains under stop/go traffic management and a 50km/h temporary traffic speed restriction between the Omaui Road intersection and Bluff township.
State Highway 6 from Lake Hawea to Maungawera, in Central Otago, is also now open after a closure yesterday due to the impacts of the weather.
The following roads are closed or impassable (please be aware there may be no signage):
- Kenilworth Road
- Braid Road
- Seaward Downs Gorge Road - closed between Anderson Road and Morton Mains Gorge Road due to trees down wrapped in powerlines
- Muirhead Road
- Longwood Road
- Otautau Nightcaps Road, at Hundred Line Road West
- Matheson Road
- Drummond Heddon Bush Road by Shaws Trees Road
- Limehills Browns Road, near Ballantyne and Henderson Road
- Endowment Road
- Limehills Browns Road near Forrester Road signs up but passable
- Ballantyne Road signs up and passable but lines are down
Several roads across the Gore District remain closed due to fallen trees and downed power lines.
Mayor Ben Bell said council staff and contractors are working hard to get everything back to normal operations.
Water mains issues in Martin St were being resolved this morning and with power restored to pump stations, residents may now return to normal water use.
“To help out, we are asking residents to clear up their gutters if they can. Also just want to remind people to be careful around damaged trees including those around playgrounds.”
Roads currently closed include:
- McGill Road – from Glencoe Highway (SH96) to Barron Road
- Heaps Road – full length from Old Coach Road (SH93) to River Road
- Diamond Peak Road – from River Road to Nithdale Road
- Pope Road – from Rapid #38 to end of road
- Smillie Road – full length from Waikaka Valley Highway (SH90) to Boag Road
- Boag Road – from Smillie Road to Smaills Road
- Paterson Road – between Waimumu Road and Miller Road due to powerlines hanging over the road
- Pinnacle Road – from end of seal to Morrison Road due to powerlines hanging over the road
Parks and recreation manager Keith McRobie said work on removing damaged and now dangerous trees is a priority in the district.
“Please take care around trees and keep children away from them."
Meanwhile, KiwiRail said the Main South Line between Dunedin and Invercargill was closed, and staff were working to clear fallen trees from rail tracks across the region.
"KiwiRail staff are working as quickly as safely possible to clear fallen trees from rail tracks in Southland," a KiwiRail spokesperson said.
"The Main South Line between Dunedin and Invercargill is currently closed due to multiple trees on the tracks but we expect to open it by the end of the day. We are grateful for everyone's patience as we continue to navigate the impacts of the severe weather."
Massive clean-up
Southland bore by far the main brunt of yesterday’s storm system.
A massive clean-up effort has kicked in today, but residents have been warned it could take days for some power - which remained out in large parts of the region last night - to be restored.
There have been reports of widespread damage across the region to homes, buildings and roads.
Forty percent (228) of Fire and Emergency Services New Zealand’s 587 callouts in New Zealand yesterday were in Southland.
The bulk of those (155) were in Invercargill, which was thrashed by winds of up to 150kmh and driving rain for several hours from 10am.
Trees torn from the ground and tossed back down blocked roads, brought down power lines and fences, and landed on vehicles.
Emergency Management Southland group controller Lucy Hicks said the situation was serious.
PowerNet was dealing with the live powerlines first and would be restoring power as swiftly as they could once any damage had been assessed.
Restoring power to critical services was prioritised last night.
"It is expected the recovery from this weather event will go on longer than the incident itself, with power, water and communication outages expected to continue across the next couple of days,” she said.
The Shot South owner Justine Abbott said she was in North Rd when the tree "came out of nowhere".
Ms Abbott had just decided to head home in the worsening weather conditions.
"I started slowing down, and it went ‘boom’."
The van was "pretty much written off".
Southland District Mayor Rob Scott painted a grim picture of the situation in the district, saying water and wastewater schemes were also under pressure while on emergency generators.
He asked residents to conserve water due to the treatment plants losing power.
Meanwhile, dairy farmers affected by power outages scrambled to hire generators to continue milking operations.
In Edendale, 30 minutes north of Invercargill, a significant portion of the roof of Fonterra’s new $150 million under-construction UHT plant was blown off.
A Mataura resident said lines of trees along the sides of the road between Gore and Edendale were down, as were farm shelterbelts and fence lines, and a trampoline had blown on to his neighbour’s roof.
Power and water were out in the town yesterday afternoon, he said.
He understood Gore District Council staff had been unable to get to the water treatment plant to turn the emergency generators on.
The man, in his early 50s, had lived in Mataura his whole life and had never seen wind like it.
People were asked to be careful because of power lines brought down by the winds causing hazards on the roads.
All Gore district residents were asked to limit water use after a burst water pipe and fallen tree cut supply to Martin St. Repairs were expected to be completed today.
Department of Conservation Whakatipu-wai-Maori operations manager David Butt said the severe weather had created the potential for flooding, slips and track damage across Fiordland, Southland and Otago.
Rangers had not yet been able to assess damage, but were advising people heading to holiday destinations for Labour Weekend to be cautious and get up-to-date weather reports.
— Allied Media, LDR and RNZ
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
