This is an official message from Emergency Management Southland.

The towns of Mataura and Wyndham are being assessed from 8am Thursday morning for flooding impacts by teams from Emergency Management Southland.

Emergency Management Southland controller Angus McKay said there had been reports last night of some flooding in the main streets of Mataura, but flood waters were receding.

“Our first concern is for people’s safety. We understand that people who have been evacuated are very keen to get back to their properties, but they should not attempt to return until we have carried out the assessments.

“We need to make sure that roads and bridges are safe as well as check for damage to infrastructure. We ask that people stay put and stay safe and keep away from floodwaters.

“We will provide residents with an update later this morning on when they are likely to be able to return home.”

A FENZ team will also assess the state of the ouvea premix stored at the Mataura paper mill.

ENDS

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