Floods,
rain cut off South Island roads
Up
to 1000 West Coast homes have lost phone and internet access -
including emergency calls - as wild weather batters parts of the
South Island.
2
January, 2013
A
key fibre cable servicing areas south of Harihari was knocked out
when a one-lane bridge over the Wanganui River was washed away. State
Highway 6, the only highway along the coast, was also cut off.
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chief executive Mark Petrie said the cable was used by nearly all
telecommunications companies to provide services to the area, with
about 1000 homes south of Harihari believed to be affected.
"They're
completely isolated down there: they've lost phone, internet and
mobile."
Petrie
said the outage would also prevent residents from making emergency
calls to 111.
Satellite
phones could be used as a temporary fix, while a technician was
likely to be monitoring the phone exchange for emergency calls.
Petrie
said Chorus, which owns the cable, had estimated that access could be
restored by 10.30pm tonight.
Police
said the road would be closed for some time, with the only detour a
lengthy one back to Wanaka for anyone wishing to travel north from
areas such as Haast, Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.
"They
can't do anything [about the bridge] until the weather subsides,
because it's pretty rough over there," a police spokesman said.
State
Highway 73 - the West Coast's main roading link to Canterbury - was
also closed from Arthur's Pass through the Otira Gorge to Jackson's,
with flooding on parts of the road and high winds causing several
trees to fall over and block some areas. The alternative roading link
between the regions is via the Lewis Pass on State highway 7.
The
spokesman said was unsure when SH 73 would reopen.
WORST
TO COME
A
front covering the area was bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms,
and was expected to move onto the lower North Island later today.
A
representative from the Department of Conservation visitors' centre
in Arthur's Pass National Park said the centre had not received any
reports of issues with trampers in the area.
While
the tracks had not been closed, trampers were being advised not to
use them because of the many river crossings in the park.
Earlier
the weather had trapped more than 100 trampers on the Milford Track
but the track reopened this morning.
A
spokesman from Metservice said the system was moving over the area
rapidly, with the worst weather expected overnight.
"As
it goes past it's going to bring a burst of heavy rain to Buller and
North-West Nelson, and the Tararua Range," he said.
"There's
a full warning out for Buller and north-west Nelson - 180-200mm of
rain could fall there between now and midnight."
He
said the weather will deteriorate throughout the day as the front
comes closer.
Wind
is also picking up in the lower North Island, with northwesterlies
reaching gale force.
Wellington
and Wairarapa, Marlborough and south of Masterton could see winds of
120 kmh to 140 kmh.
"Wellington
will probably have to wait until this afternoon or this evening
before the rain sets in, but it's already starting to settle onto the
top of the South Island, at least in the west," he said.
"Certainly
the conditions for rain and wind are going to deteriorate throughout
the day today."
Wind
warnings are also in place for Taranaki, Taihape, Wanganui and
Manawatu.
Metservice
said winds of this strength have the potential to damage trees and
powerlines, and make driving difficult.
Westland
and the Southern Alps could see 500mm to 600mm of rain in some
places, with significant spillover into Canterbury.
Heavy
rain and wind warnings for Fiordland and Otago have been dropped.
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