WELLINGTON — A powerful rainstorm brought flooding, road closures, and forced evacuations to the southern New Zealand city of Dunedin and the neighboring Waitaki District on Monday, with authorities calling on residents to stay home and limit travel wherever possible.
Dunedin City Council reported that multiple roads in Mosgiel, located west of the city center, were shut down overnight due to surface flooding. The road crossing Three Mile Hill was also closed, and minor landslides were reported on the Otago Peninsula. In Surrey Street in South Dunedin, flood protection barriers were put in place, and officials noted that pumps and pipes had successfully managed the rainfall accumulation up to that point.
An emergency evacuation center was set up overnight in Mosgiel to shelter displaced residents. The council confirmed that “a number of residents” had sought refuge there, including one family of five.
The situation was more severe in the Waitaki District, where officials declared a state of emergency following widespread flood damage. Local reports indicate that more than 20 residents chose to self-evacuate from their homes.
New Zealand’s national weather service, MetService, reported that both Dunedin and Oamaru received approximately 100 millimeters — about 4 inches — of rain within a 24-hour period. The storm system was expected to shift northward, bringing heavy rain toward the Canterbury and Marlborough regions.
