November 9, 2024 • 5 mins
Clean ups are underway as the West Coast recovers from a deluge of rain.
Franz Josef experienced its wettest 24 hours in more than four decades - prompting a state of an emergency for southern Westland.
State Highway 6 from Fox Glacier to Haast has been damaged by slips and flooding - it's closed until at least Monday.
Westland mayor Helen Lash says the road is currently not passable.
"The road has slumped, it's got cracks in it - and we're not prepared to take any risk with putting anybody on that part of the road."
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yesterday, a set of emergency was declared and Wesland after
the region had its weakest twenty four hours since nineteen
seventy nine. To talk us through the current situation, Mayor
Helen Lash joins me. Now, Good morning, Helen, Good.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Morning, Francesca. How are you good?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Thank you? What's the weather situation now?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Fine, Rain's gone for a cloud. You know, it's going
to give everybody a chance to have things dry out,
and it's also going to give everybody a chance to
get out and actually assess at the real state of
the damage. As usual, we have these weather events and
then they pass on and life goes back to normal
very quickly.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Do you have a sense of the level of damage
at this state.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
I'll have more as we've progressed through the day. I
know we've got a couple of we've got that five
significant slips, only two of them are honest the state highway,
and we've got some serious damage at Night's Point, which
is stayed highway which allows us to travel, you know,
from one end of the coast the other and I'm
waiting for the engineers to be on site and assist
(01:16):
that that's actually going to take probably some time before
they get their head around what that situation is and
how best we're going to manage that. So probably know,
the forty eight hours potentially might have some indication.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Okay, So do we still have roads closed?
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Yes, we do because that road's not possible with the
road slump has got cracks in it and we're not
fit to take any risk with putting anybody on that
part of the road. Yeah, So that's that's that as
far as the slips go. The teams are out there
now clearing the roads, getting the roads open, and they're
very very efficient at this. They're used to it. They
know what they're doing. So people can come to the
(01:52):
coast and come to the glacier country, go down to
Lake Moraki, the salmon farm, et cetera, but they just
can't carry on through to Hearst. Okay, So you know, yeah,
that's that's the problem we've got at the moment. And
it's the same people coming from Wanaka through to heart.
They can get to Hearst and enjoy all the beauty
of that, but they can't get from there to Fox
Gacia or putring It or MORITICI.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
So, yeah, what do you want residents tonight at this point?
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Look in Hearst, we had a sole charged policeman there
for the emergency yesterday and he was run ragged because
we had a community that was isolated with flooding. We
had extensive flooding, which was wider than what we originally knew.
So we need assessments done where there's been significant water
through homes. We need those homes to be assessed because
(02:39):
it's not just the water in the homes, it's water
getting and to wiring and everything else. So that's going
to be happening today, tomorrow, in the next day. But
it's you know, if anybody's got any needs any help,
needs any assistance, if there's something's happened that we're not
aware of. I just want them to raise their hands
and say, hey, I need help, or hey can somebody
please give me some assistance with this or check this
(03:02):
out before we return to this or that.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Because we know you're a very resilient lot on the
west coast Helen, But there is a time, isn't there
where it's I know, communities look after each other really well,
but it is also important to go hang on a minute,
might need a better help here.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
It is, it really is because you know, you don't
get any badges for being a hero, as we all
know that that's the common factor, but you know you
don't get that for struggling on your own and wearing
yourself down either. And these situations do take a mental toll.
They you know, they play hell on your mind. And
if you've got damage, you know, don't try and manage
(03:38):
that on your own. Get help, get company, get somebody
to talk crow because the last thing we need is
just compecting people where they sort of fold under the
pressure of what they're facing. So it's about care in
the communities and that's really important to me, Helen.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Last night there was a high tide. I know that
was a bit of a concern in some areas. Did
it raise any more issues?
Speaker 3 (03:58):
No, we were really really lucky because the time the
high tide came, the rivers were receding, so that that
was a bonus for us. So ocurdu down at classed again.
Was it a major area of concern so criticular again
that was up to banks, But you know we got
away with that but Acurdu is lower lying again down
(04:20):
there at the coastal village, as is Okarito, and the
water comes in through the back of that village and
the tide affects that. But yeah, it could have been
a lot worse, Francisca. It's just, you know, it's just
whether the tides and the peak of the floods are
going to happen at the same time or not. And
the gods were looking down favorably, honest last night and
yesterday with that one.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
So please for sure, yeah, so pleased to hear. Of
course you're now looking at clean up and repair, but
I suppose before that starts, as you say, it's really
just about assessing the situation it is.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
But where the roads are closed with slippage, I know
the teams are out there already. As soon as those
slips stop moving and a safe two they get in there.
And our road crews are so used to this, but
they also understand the importance of getting that road open,
so they're already out there doing that, which is fantastic.
And also they're sweeping the roads again for you know,
if there's anything we've missed or anything that's actually happened
(05:11):
since the rain stopped, just because you know, the ground
can become so weighted down with the water that a
slip can happen, you know, when the rain stopped. So
they're out reassessing just to make sure we're over this
and got everything under control. So it's a big area.
My area on its own is four and forty kilometers long,
so it's a big area to get all the teams
out there covering. But admittedly this is in southwest and only.
(05:33):
It's not the entire area, so we still have people
up valleys and isolated areas, so you know, you need
those touch points with them to check in on them
and make sure they're okay, they don't need anything.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
And here I know you're busy, Helen, so I really
appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so much, and
good luck with that cleaner.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudgin, listen
live to news Talks there'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yesterday, a set of emergency was declared and Wesland after
the region had its weakest twenty four hours since nineteen
seventy nine. To talk us through the current situation, Mayor
Helen Lash joins me. Now, Good morning, Helen, Good.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Morning, Francesca. How are you good?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Thank you? What's the weather situation now?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Fine, Rain's gone for a cloud. You know, it's going
to give everybody a chance to have things dry out,
and it's also going to give everybody a chance to
get out and actually assess at the real state of
the damage. As usual, we have these weather events and
then they pass on and life goes back to normal
very quickly.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Do you have a sense of the level of damage
at this state.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
I'll have more as we've progressed through the day. I
know we've got a couple of we've got that five
significant slips, only two of them are honest the state highway,
and we've got some serious damage at Night's Point, which
is stayed highway which allows us to travel, you know,
from one end of the coast the other and I'm
waiting for the engineers to be on site and assist
(01:16):
that that's actually going to take probably some time before
they get their head around what that situation is and
how best we're going to manage that. So probably know,
the forty eight hours potentially might have some indication.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Okay, So do we still have roads closed?
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Yes, we do because that road's not possible with the
road slump has got cracks in it and we're not
fit to take any risk with putting anybody on that
part of the road. Yeah, So that's that's that as
far as the slips go. The teams are out there
now clearing the roads, getting the roads open, and they're
very very efficient at this. They're used to it. They
know what they're doing. So people can come to the
(01:52):
coast and come to the glacier country, go down to
Lake Moraki, the salmon farm, et cetera, but they just
can't carry on through to Hearst. Okay, So you know, yeah,
that's that's the problem we've got at the moment. And
it's the same people coming from Wanaka through to heart.
They can get to Hearst and enjoy all the beauty
of that, but they can't get from there to Fox
Gacia or putring It or MORITICI.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
So, yeah, what do you want residents tonight at this point?
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Look in Hearst, we had a sole charged policeman there
for the emergency yesterday and he was run ragged because
we had a community that was isolated with flooding. We
had extensive flooding, which was wider than what we originally knew.
So we need assessments done where there's been significant water
through homes. We need those homes to be assessed because
(02:39):
it's not just the water in the homes, it's water
getting and to wiring and everything else. So that's going
to be happening today, tomorrow, in the next day. But
it's you know, if anybody's got any needs any help,
needs any assistance, if there's something's happened that we're not
aware of. I just want them to raise their hands
and say, hey, I need help, or hey can somebody
please give me some assistance with this or check this
(03:02):
out before we return to this or that.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Because we know you're a very resilient lot on the
west coast Helen, But there is a time, isn't there
where it's I know, communities look after each other really well,
but it is also important to go hang on a minute,
might need a better help here.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
It is, it really is because you know, you don't
get any badges for being a hero, as we all
know that that's the common factor, but you know you
don't get that for struggling on your own and wearing
yourself down either. And these situations do take a mental toll.
They you know, they play hell on your mind. And
if you've got damage, you know, don't try and manage
(03:38):
that on your own. Get help, get company, get somebody
to talk crow because the last thing we need is
just compecting people where they sort of fold under the
pressure of what they're facing. So it's about care in
the communities and that's really important to me, Helen.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Last night there was a high tide. I know that
was a bit of a concern in some areas. Did
it raise any more issues?
Speaker 3 (03:58):
No, we were really really lucky because the time the
high tide came, the rivers were receding, so that that
was a bonus for us. So ocurdu down at classed again.
Was it a major area of concern so criticular again
that was up to banks, But you know we got
away with that but Acurdu is lower lying again down
(04:20):
there at the coastal village, as is Okarito, and the
water comes in through the back of that village and
the tide affects that. But yeah, it could have been
a lot worse, Francisca. It's just, you know, it's just
whether the tides and the peak of the floods are
going to happen at the same time or not. And
the gods were looking down favorably, honest last night and
yesterday with that one.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
So please for sure, yeah, so pleased to hear. Of
course you're now looking at clean up and repair, but
I suppose before that starts, as you say, it's really
just about assessing the situation it is.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
But where the roads are closed with slippage, I know
the teams are out there already. As soon as those
slips stop moving and a safe two they get in there.
And our road crews are so used to this, but
they also understand the importance of getting that road open,
so they're already out there doing that, which is fantastic.
And also they're sweeping the roads again for you know,
if there's anything we've missed or anything that's actually happened
(05:11):
since the rain stopped, just because you know, the ground
can become so weighted down with the water that a
slip can happen, you know, when the rain stopped. So
they're out reassessing just to make sure we're over this
and got everything under control. So it's a big area.
My area on its own is four and forty kilometers long,
so it's a big area to get all the teams
out there covering. But admittedly this is in southwest and only.
(05:33):
It's not the entire area, so we still have people
up valleys and isolated areas, so you know, you need
those touch points with them to check in on them
and make sure they're okay, they don't need anything.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
And here I know you're busy, Helen, so I really
appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so much, and
good luck with that cleaner.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudgin, listen
live to news Talks there'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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