Richard Green: Christchurch issues second ever 'red warning' due to heavy weather

Federated Farmers President David Clark said floodwaters in Canterbury have exceeded warnings "by a huge magnitude" and multiple rescue operations are taking place.One person is awaiting rescue by helicopter to get out of a flooded area as torrential rain hits Canterbury."It's a really serious situation here in Canterbury, the rivers are breaking in multiple places," he said.Clark has been helping with rescues, including a car that has been swept out in the floods at 4.30am where fire and emergency crews couldn't get to, and a farmer being trapped in a tractor by the floodwaters."Key message from Federated Farmers today is that safety is paramount, don't put your own life in danger," he said."We've seen multiple rescues, with machinery having to go out in deep floodwaters to rescue people."Police were called to assist a fire crew in a rescue emergency on Walkhams Rd at 8am this morning, a police spokeswoman said."It appears one person needs assistance to get out of a flooded area," she said."No injuries, they're just awaiting rescue at the moment. A helicopter has been called."A storm chaser at Canterbury Snow and Weather Watch is expecting multiple rivers to burst their banks today after the worst weather he has seen in a decade.The region is being lashed by torrential rain, causing widespread flooding and road closures, including the stretch from Springfield to Castle Hill on SH73, the main route to the west coast."We're hearing that a lot of the rivers on the Canterbury Plains, which people live very close to and normally run dry, are running at the highest levels on record," Josh Oliver said."People are pretty concerned. Yesterday people were a bit complacent about this event, we tried to warn people and it's now coming into fruition."Flooding of the Avon River in Christchurch. Photo / Hamish ClarkOliver said this was a "once in a lifetime event", it had been pouring for the past 24 hours, and there was still about 30 hours of the warning period to go."We've just heard that Mount Somers has already hit 300mm, which was the upper level of what the warning was for ... we're well on task to hit 600mm, which in New Zealand is almost unheard of, let alone in Canterbury."Oliver, who is based in Springfield, said he was out this morning and had seen surface flooding and atrocious driving conditions."People really shouldn't be out unless they absolutely have to," he said."I normally don't get worried about a weather event, I more enjoy the thrill of going out and chasing it, but this one has gotten me worried.He said the Heathcote River burst its banks in Christchurch last night "and it's only going to get worse from here"."Multiple rivers would burst its banks this afternoon I would say."Other parts of the country can expect thunderstorms as a complex low settles over New Zealand.For only the second time ever, MetService issued a rare red warning for heavy rain for Canterbury, south of Amberley. That warning will be valid until Monday at 11am.Civil Defence Emergency Management Canterbury is warning people to stay away from floodwaters and turn off electricity to avoid short circuits if water enters the home."Move livestock to paddocks that allow them to move away from floodwaters, are not at risk from landslides and are not close to power lines," it said."Check on neighbours and help anyone who might need assistance."Christchurch residents were warned the deluge would most likely reach dangerous levels, and there were reports some streets were already water-logged.This morning at 5.48am however, MetService has lifted road snowfall warnings at Arthur's Pass and Lewis Pass.Slips have also closed roads overnight.Tiniroto Rd in Gisborne was closed because of a large slip and will remain closed until contractors reassess the situation this morning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.