It’s been 12 months since Ashburton’s big flood event and Mayor Neil Brown says the anniversary is an appropriate time to reflect on the work of those involved in the successful emergency response and celebrate the district’s recovery.

“It was a crisis that tested us but people in this district are a resilient bunch, and we know how to look after each other.

“The emergency services, like FENZ and police, were a huge help as things were unfolding, and on the recovery side Rural Support Trust, iwi, MPI, the Insurance Council, Waitaha Health and Federated Farmers were vital partners.

“Each brought their own strengths to the table and when we were all able to work together we achieved so much more for our community.”

He said generous donations to the Mayoral Relief Fund were received from around the district and New Zealand, and distributed to those most affected.

The Mayor said that over the past year, Council has been focused on repairing damaged roads and building resilience against future big floods.

“The 2021 floods were a first-hand example of the impact of a changing climate on our community and that extreme rainfall cost our district.

“Damage to local roads took over six months of work and $4 million to fix, and also highlighted the vulnerability of the lower South Island when the State Highway 1 bridge over the Ashburton River was damaged and closed to traffic.

“We have been told by Government that there is money to contribute to a second bridge to make sure the island is not cut off again but there have also been things we have done as a Council to improve resilience.

“We are making improvements to Methven’s drinking water supply and once complete, they shouldn’t have to deal with boil water notices again. We are also spending more on improving our roads so they are less vulnerable to water damage.”

Some 540mm of rain fell at Mount Somers at the end of May 2021, resulting in record flows in the Hinds and Ashburton Rivers and leading to the Mayor declaring a state of local emergency.  Around 1500 people living in Allenton and Netherby were warned they might need to evacuate but this was avoided when the Ashburton River breached further upstream and relieved pressure on the river closer to town.

Many living beside the Ashburton River, and the Hinds, self-evacuated and in total nearly 280 properties were affected, with uninsurable damage up to $14m.

Mayor Brown said planning for extreme weather events was important at local and national levels, and Council would this week be considering its submission to a draft national plan to help the country adapt to climate change.

“We have our own climate change policy in this district and are developing a resilience action plan, but we believe Central Government must be a partner and co-funder in improving that resilience.”