Tracey McNamara/Supplied
A $3 million flood resilience project is under way to protect a popular fishing spot and significant wetlands near Kaiapoi (McIntoshâs bend). However, while the flood zones have encroached markedly on residential developments, the likelihood of being flooded is slim, the modelling based on a 2500-year “worst case” tsunami. The red evacuation zone, nearest the sea, has only seen minor changes, but would be the most likely to be affected by a tsunami. It covers estuaries, beaches and rivers which can experience strong currents and surges in the water from tsunamis of any size. An orange evacuation zone covers land that could be flooded during large tsunamis, and already included the coastal settlements at The Pines Beach, Kairaki, Woodend Beach and Waikuku Beach.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/Stuff
Annabel Phillipson with her dog Andie. Her home was dangerously close to the flames during Monday’s fire in Redcliffs. Builders constructing a double-garage and bedroom on her land saw the flames and quickly raised the alarm. “One of them knocked on the door and said there’s a fire down the hill and it looks like it’s coming this way,” Phillipson said. She began gathering the family’s valuables, while her 23-year-old daughter, Juliette, joined the builders in trying to douse the flames. The trees below the new building caught alight, meaning the fire was “actually burning underneath the house”.