Timaru District Council Civil Defence State of Emergency continues today.

Following a period of calmer weather today, water levels in the affected rivers are continuing to recede.

We still recommending that residents in the low lying areas Coopers Creek catchment north of the Orari River remain evacuated until further notice. If you are evacuated, please call council on 03 687 7200 to confirm your status and allow us to contact you quickly.

Receding floodwater is likely to have caused major scouring and holes in roads, so we are advising people not to travel between towns unless necessary. Our teams are working to restore essential road links, at time of this notice there is still no road connection to Christchurch.

The current information on district roads is here: https://www.timaru.govt.nz/maps/emergency

The flood water should be treated as though it is unsafe and contaminated. STAY AWAY from flooded areas until the all-clear is given by Civil Defence. If you feel you are in danger, or have water entering your house or business, call 111.

Important Information

· Residents in low lying areas near waterways should remain prepared for rising water, ensure safety of stock and be prepared to evacuate if required. If you feel unsafe, don’t wait for conditions to worsen head to your local Civil Defence Centre. In an emergency call 111.

· We are asking any residents that have had any flood waters through their property to please call us on 03 6877200 so that we can arrange rapid assessments of their properties. Water and septic systems may have been affected even if water didn’t enter the house.

· A boil water notice is in place for those on the Geraldine Urban Supply, Rangitata Huts, Te Moana and Downlands Water Scheme users (excluding Pareora and St Andrews townships).

· We have Conserve Water Notice in place for all of the Timaru District, particularly Te Moana and Peel Forest.

· Normal Bin Collections in the North Zone will resume today.

· Residential bins not collected on Monday will be collected next Monday. Business customers in the Geraldine and Temuka CBDs will have their bins collected this Wednesday afternoon.

· Temuka and Geraldine Libraries remain closed today.

· Updates will also be made available over More FM and The Breeze radio stations. Local frequencies are More FM 97.9 Mackenzie 94.2 and Waimate 93.1. The Breeze 89.9 Mackenzie 99.8 and South Canterbury’s 100.3FM.

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