Subj : Haast power could be out for several days, system to 'ramp up' To : All From : News Person Date : Wed Apr 10 2024 11:38 am Up to 160mm of rain has fallen on the West Coast in the last 12 hours, forcing some in Franz Josef to evacuate overnight as a precaution. It comes as a major weather system brings days of heavy rain and strong winds to the area. State Highway 6 is now closed between Haast and Franz Josef due to slips. West Coast Emergency Management told Stuff some residents living on the south side of the Waiho River - which has reached peak levels - evacuated as a precaution overnight. Around 300mm of rain had swept through the area. Officials say the Waiho River, where levels are sitting at 8m, won't break its banks. MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane told 1News some areas of the West Coast had seen 100-160mm of rain since 7pm last night. However, there would be some reprieve today as while the forecaster is still expecting rain to fall it won't be as intense as the last 24 hours. UPDATE 7:40AM, WED 10 APR The CLOSURE has now been EXTENDED to Franz Josef due to another slip in this area. The road is CLOSED between Haast and Franz Josef. Please avoid this area or delay your journey if possible. ^SG https://t.co/VzqXXEGpvG pic.twitter.com/yMxrPuupRO - Waka Kotahi NZTA Canterbury & West Coast (@WakaKotahiCWC) April 9, 2024 Makgabutlane said the period to watch is this evening into Thursday when a "second wave" of rain comes through. She said there will be a "ramping up of rainfall intensity". Areas to keep an eye on are Southland and Clutha, along with Tasman on Thursday, Makgabutlane said. She described the weather system as an "evolving" one and MetService's advice is for people to keep a close eye on the latest watches and warnings on its website. The system will affect the upper half of the North Island late Thursday into Friday. There may be thunderstorms. Makgabutlane mentioned Taranaki, Taihape, inland Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, along with Auckland and Northland, as areas which are likely to be affected. Power in Haast could be out for several days West Coast Emergency Management said NZ Energy Ltd had advised there are three power poles down due to the weather, affecting customers south of Hannahs Clearing. "The outage could result in several days without power. The slips are hindering our capability to access and provide fault repairs to Haast. We are currently investigating contractors from Cromwell to assist where possible." Westland mayor on wild weather Westland Mayor Helen Lash said residents had "got through the night very well" despite a lot of rain. "The rivers are sitting where they are, the next lot of rain is what will give us the potential for problems," she said. "At this stage, everyone's quite comfortable. We do have a slip further south and the teams will be out now, and they'll hopefully have it open but if we get the rain tonight that is predicted we'd prefer people weren't travelling through the darkness of night," said Lash. She said conversations were had in Franz Josef about the possibility of evacuations if people wanted to stay with others, but it was "still early days". "It's a great community down there, they look out for one another and they've got this sorted." Weather warnings and watches Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for Mount Taranaki from 6pm tomorrow until 9am on Friday; Tasman northwest of Motueka from 6am tomorrow to 3am on Friday; Buller District south of Seddonville and northwest of Reefton from 6am to midnight tomorrow; Westland District south of Hokitika until 9pm tomorrow; headwaters of the Otago lakes and rivers from 11am today until 6pm tomorrow; Fiordland from 1pm today to 6pm tomorrow; Southland from 6am to midnight tomorrow; and the Bryant Range, also inland Marlborough west of Blenheim and north of the Awatere River, from 9am tomorrow to 6am on Friday. A heavy rain watch is in place for Northland from 6pm tomorrow to 6am on Friday; Nelson Lakes, Buller District about and southeast of Reefton, Grey District, and Westland District about and north of Hokitika, from 3am tomorrow to 3am on Friday; and Clutha from 6am tomorrow to 2am on Friday. A strong wind watch is in place for Taranaki south of the mountain, Taihape and the Whanganui Hill Country, from 3pm tomorrow to 6am on Friday; Buller District, Nelson/Tasman and Marlborough from 12pm tomorrow to 3am on Friday; Wellington from 6pm tomorrow to 6am on Friday; and Canterbury High Country from midnight tonight to 6pm tomorrow. --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A44 2020/02/04 (Windows/64) * Origin: S.W.A.T.S BBS Telnet swatsbbs.ddns.net:2323 (63:10/102) .