Torrential downpours that have batteredfor four days straight have caused floods that could take years to clean up and displaced at least 1,200 people from their homes in the top of the South Island.
Evacuated residents in Nelson, a city with a population of more than 50,000 that has been particularly hard hit, were told they were unlikely to be able to return home on Friday, leaving 1,200 people from 411 households displaced. Nelson’s mayor, Rachel Reese, told media it would take years to recover from the flooding, which has badly damaged roads and homes.
Another 130mm of rain is expected in the region on Friday night, on top of at least 172mm that has fallen since Tuesday in Nelson – well above its average rainfall for the whole of August of 80mm.Paradise Peak in the Tasman recorded an extraordinary 795mm of rain from midday Tuesday to 9am Friday, while Dawson Falls in Taranaki region recorded just over a metre, according to Metservice.
“That is linked to a higher than usual number of atmospheric rivers occurring. Normally, atmospheric rivers are relatively rare during the winter months.”
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