Rising river levels forced the urgent evacuation of more than 240 homes in North Canterbury, and the entire small town of Springfield in the Selwyn district was evacuated – 42 households, or about 100 people.
STACY SQUIRES/Stuff Forecasters say the heavy downpours could be a one-in-a-hundred-year event. Insurer State urged policyholders to follow Civil Defence safety advice, and said: “We hope everyone affected by the downpours and flooding is keeping safe.” AMI posted on Sunday evening: “Our thoughts are with the people of Canterbury who are in for some more rough weather and potential flooding tonight.”
Joseph Johnson/Stuff
Flood water along the Methven Highway started flowing through paddocks and close to houses in the Ashburton area.
Canterbury residents will wake to a region-wide state of emergency today after torrential rain caused rivers to burst their banks and forced mass evacuatio