By 6pm on Saturday, almost half of the residents in the West Coast town of Westport had been evacuated in what Buller mayor Jamie Cleine called “an evolving situation”. Cleine said just over 2000 of the town’s roughly 4500 residents have had to evacuate their homes. About 8:30pm on Saturday, an alert was sent to residents in Westport by Civil Defence saying those that had not yet evacuated should shelter in place.
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An emergency alert sent by West Coast civil defence on Saturday evening said Westport residents who had not yet evacuated their homes should shelter in place. Lisa Gregory, who was working in the Emergency Operations Centre, popped back to check on her Gladstone St property on Saturday afternoon, but like many in the area, knee-high water meant she was unable to get inside.
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