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Downpour causes worst flooding in 20 years

Author
Adam Walker ,
Publish Date
Fri, 6 Mar 2015, 4:29PM

Downpour causes worst flooding in 20 years

Author
Adam Walker ,
Publish Date
Fri, 6 Mar 2015, 4:29PM

Westport residents are sloshing out their homes and businesses after a downpour that caused the worst flooding in almost two decades.

Around 100 millimetres of rain has fallen since the early hours of this morning, causing slips, closing schools seeing roads and streets become flooded.

Two slips closed the lower Buller Gorge, at least one car was stuck in-between them although contractors have reached the occupants and they are safe.

Mathieu Bekkai says his van got stuck on a piece of wood in a puddle - and the slip came down as he was out of the van trying to move the wood.

He says rocks and mud came down around the van, and he received cuts to his legs and feet.

At the storm's height, Buller Mayor Garry Howard was warning against people going out to rubberneck.

"It's no good going out there to have a look at it, it's pouring down and the water will increase in height."

Howard says they're expecting more rain tonight, but nothing close to the ferocity they've endured over the past 12 hours.

"Certainly the street has drained, the stormwaters' done its job."

"We've got fairly big tides outside the river, but it's been really good to see the water drain away so quickly."

He says there's more than a dozen properties which will need to lodge insurance claims due to being damaged by the rain and flooding.

Bradley's Furniture is just one of a number of businesses affected after water flowed into a storage unit, soaking around 80-thousand dollars worth of stock. .

But rather than bemoaning his own plight, owner, Pat Bradley is thinking of other people.

He says his stock can be replaced, other people have had their personal possessions ruined.

 

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