Canterbury deluge makes July wettest ever for region

Christchurch residents are mopping up after rain caused what some locals called calling the worst flooding they've seen in their suburb..

A band of rain falling between Monday night and Tuesday night plunged Canterbury into the wettest July on record, with a third of the annual rain falling in a month.

On the back of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River in Hoon Hay, Hamish Kingsbury said yesterday was the worst flood he'd ever seen on his street.

"I actually grew up four houses down so I knew what I was in for when I bought this place, and it always floods, but this is definitely the worst I've seen it," he said.

Hamish Kingsbury counts himself lucky to escape flooding with a house raised several metres, but others on his street were left to mop up drenched carpets and muddy yards.

"Our neighbours back onto the river and they have had it pretty high previously. I popped over this afternoon to have a look and it was probably 30cm off getting into their house."

Monika Cassidy had similar scenes at her house on Francis Avenue, just north of the city centre.

But with cars frequently passing through, the risk of her house flooding is heightened - and she wants the council to recognise that.

"When the street isn't closed, we still have cars coming through ... cars carry on driving, which sends big waves to the houses that are lower to the ground."

Frustrated by the council's lack of urgency, her neighbours took matters into their own hands by parking a truck across the road to block access.

Edgeware resident Greg Hughey was surprised to make it home after driving his truck down the middle New Brighton Road, with metre-high pools of water on both sides

"I was concerned I was going to get stuck without a doubt. I went down to five kilometres an hour, and with oncoming traffic, people were also crawling through the water. It was up the door on the truck."

The Ōtakaro Avon burst its banks in sections shortly afterwards, worsening flooding across the central city.

Further south at Waimea Terrace, the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River also burst its banks, leaving residents trapped for the third time in three weeks.

Rather than staying indoors and wait for floodwaters to creep up, Amy Whiting decided to embrace the rain and walk her border collie along the street - but it eventually became too deep.

"There was places that were completely uncrossable, so definitely ankle-deep for where you could walk, but it would be over the gumboots on the normal paths."

Amy Whiting said she would be back out again today, despite even more rain being forecast for the city.

Drivers urged to take care

Motorists in South Canterbury are being urged to be vigilant as the extent of flood damage to local roads becomes clearer.

The cleanup to yesterday's heavy rain, which caused flooding and forced evacuations in parts of the South Island, has been the focus today for officials.

This month has been reported as the wettest July in about 70 years for Timaru.

Timaru District Council's Jayson Ellis said the receding water was causing scouring on unsealed roads and could wash out the edges of sealed roads.

He said until crews can fix the roads motorists will need to drive with extreme care, particularly in rural areas.

Contamination warning

Canterbury public health chiefs are warning people to stay away from beaches, rivers and floodwaters for two days because they could be contaminated.

The medical officer of health, Dr Matthew Reid, said sewage has spilled into many waterways as a result of the heavy rain.

He said people should wash their hands well with soap after cleaning up and should not let children play in floodwater.

Dr Reid said it was not safe to drink from rivers after downpours.

Mayor defends council preparations

Some people have complained the council did not clear enough drains in preparation for the deluge.

But Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel said it was everyone's responsibility.

She said there was nowhere for the water to go in low-lying areas, even if the drains were clear.

While work was still being done on Heathcote River retention ponds, Dalziel said they had played a big part in reducing flooding.

Evacuations due to landslips

People were forced to evacuate in Canterbury overnight because of slips and water damage.

Four households were evacuated in Lyttelton and Redcliffs because of slips, Canterbury Civil Defence emergency management controller Sean Poff said.

At least one property had been damaged, and specialists were assessing the slips.

A few residents in the Waimakiriri District left their homes due to water damage and were staying with friends and family.

In Selwyn District, a couple of people chose to leave their properties.

The Selwyn River was still being monitored, but it wasn't likely to breach its banks, he said.