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40 freedom campers moved to avoid rising floodwaters
15 October 2019
Waikato Regional Council staff have this morning moved about 40 freedom campers from land near the Thames airfield as floodwaters continue to rise.
About 160mm of rain has fallen overnight in parts of the catchment above the Kauaeranga River, causing water levels to rise. As a result, the spillway across State Highway 25 at Thames has just started to operate and may result in the highway being closed to motorists.
On the Coromandel Peninsula people are being urged to stay away from rivers and streams as they could rise rapidly with the rainfall.
Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous. Please keep up to date with road conditions by checking the NZ Transport Agency and Thames-Coromandel District Council websites.
The regional council’s flood room live site – waikatoregion.govt.nz/flood-room – has been ‘activated’, with staff continuing to closely monitor its network of flood alarms.
A heavy rain warning, issued by MetService about 9pm yesterday, remains in place until 11am today.
You can check for weather updates at www.metservice.com.
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