Flooding has closed many Christchurch roads and all city parks are also closed because of danger of trees toppling in the saturated ground.

The Christchurch City Council has set up an incident room to handle repercussions from the gale-force winds and heavy rain. Roads closed are Summit Road, Dyers Pass Road (from the Takahe to Governors Bay), Evans Pass Road (from No.11 to the top), Mount Pleasant Road (from Drayton Drive to the summit), Eastern and Waimea terraces, nine streets in a block bounded by Pages (south) and Bexley (east) roads to the river, Paisley, Wakefield, Van Asch streets and Sumnervale Drive, and part of Fitzgerald Avenue (north of the Avon River to Cambridge Terrace). A power cable is down in Drayton Drive and Birch Street is 400mm under water. The River Avon has overflowed between Avonside Drive and Bealey Avenue. Cars are stalled in the water there. The Heathcote River has overflowed in Eastern Terrace and is closed. City Council spokesmen today advised that drivers did not enter closed road or roads that have some flooding in them. The weather forecast is that the rain should ease this afternoon but river levels will remain high. The lower reaches of the Avon and Heathcote are being closely watched with the tide to peak between 4-5pm.

All parks in the city are closed until tomorrow because of the danger of trees falling in the saturated ground. Some have come down already. No figures are available. City Care Ltd has received calls to 160 trees that need attention.

Further information: David Gee, journalist: 371 1949.

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