This is an official message from Emergency Management Southland.

The state of emergency for Southland, including Fiordland, has been extended until Tuesday 18 February.

Emergency Management Southland controller Angus McKay said it was decided at a joint committee meeting this morning to keep the state of emergency in place for a further seven days. Members of all the local councils and other emergency services partners were at the meeting.

“We are still assessing the impact of the floodwaters in many areas in Southland and we have parts of Fiordland that are closed and need to remain so,” Mr McKay said.

A co-ordinated response led by Civil Defence in Southland is still needed at this stage.

“We are working hard to plan the recovery phase and that will happen in due course,” he said.

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