Ruapehu Civil Defence – Media Release #4.

RUAPEHU GETS OFF LIGHTLY SO FAR BUT AUTHORITIES KEEPING A CLOSE WATCH OVERNIGHT

Ruapehu district has so far gotten off relatively lightly from the weather system that has been pounding the central North Island.

A state of emergency has NOT been declared.

The rain front predicted by MetService to bring 50-70mm of rainfall through to around midnight tonighthas arrived and Ruapehu Civil Defence will be monitoring the situation closely in conjunction with other local response agencies and Horizons Civil Defence.

Over the day, there have been 15 road closures reported due to either surface flooding or slips, however, no Ruapehu townships are currently isolated.
It is expected that surface flooding will recede relatively quickly once the rain front moves through.

Pipiriki remains without power or phones but is in contact with the outside world through the Department of Conservation radio.

Owhango township has been requested to boil their tap water until further notice due to the Owhango Water Treatment Plant experiencing difficulties in keeping chlorine levels within drinking water standards due to the high turbidity of the water source.

The flooding and poor quality of water in rivers where water is sourced for the supply of Ruapehu townships has meant that the Ruapehu district is currently using stored water from reservoirs.

This required water restrictions to be put in place for all of the Ruapehu District, with Taumarunui and Ohakune requested to take particular care with water use.

Raetihi residents have been advised to avoid going near flooded waters due to the potential risk of contamination of flood water by sewage overflow.
Council staff, together with Council Water Service Contractors, Veolia, are currently investigating issues in the area and are awaiting water levels to drop prior to further action.

Members of the public are advised to take care while driving. As weather and road conditions can change rapidly, we advise people to check the status of roads before they start their journey. People can call 0800 4HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49) or visit or
• www.ruapehudc.govt.nz (Local Ruapehu road information)
• www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/regions/8
• www.facebook.com/nztacni
• www.twitter.com/NZTACNI
Any local road outages or other issues should be reported to Council on 07 895 8188 or 06 385 8364.

In the event of any immediate life threatening situations please call 111.