Lessons from 1984 Southland flood still relevant today
Catriona Flynn remembers watching water creep towards her Invercargill home – but just half an hour later she was being shepherded on to a bus as houses flooded.
It was summer 1984, and then 16-year-old Catriona and a friend had been walking home in preparation for a Friday night sleepover.
Her parents were planning to have friends over.
Heavy rain had fallen across Southland on Thursday night but on Friday the sun was out, and some were even planning evening barbecues.
But by early afternoon it was clear the weekend was going to entail something entirely different, as rivers burst their banks and floodwaters advanced across parts of the city.
“You could just see the water creeping up Douglas St. We would have lifted hardly anything out of our house, maybe a few bits and pieces, and mum couldn’t swim.
“By the time we came out about 20 minutes later, the water was coming in. Dad had to piggyback mum because the water was up to our knees, and moving up to our thighs.”
A bus had been diverted and was picking up people in the Grasmere area, taking them to Collingwood Intermediate.
“That bus got there really quick, I was only home 20 to 30 minutes and the water started coming in. Some people were on their roofs.”
Catriona and her family stayed with family overnight in Otatara, which wasn’t cut off at that stage, then got the use of a house in Bainfield Rd through her mum’s work, where they stayed until September.
Their house had sunk and had to be lifted and re-piled, while inside it was a mess, Catriona says.
“The water had gone three quarters of the way up the wall, and everything was caked in this silty river mud.”
The army had gone through and emptied fridges and freezers, and they piled everything else out on the street to be taken away, she said.
“It was stressful. I lost a lot of personal belongings. We lost all our family photos. Literally we lost everything and had to start from scratch, again.”
Eight months later they were able to return home, and Catriona remembers how resilient her parents were.
“I don’t think about it a lot now, but I think we were lucky because we had the other house so life continued on relatively normal for us, we weren’t living in the rebuild.”
She does think about the chaos and effects on people’s lives during more recent flooding and storm events.
“I think it’s really important we have the flood protection to safeguard people’s houses and incomes. The reality is, we live on a flood plain, so we need it.”
Jayne McAllister was a meat inspector at Alliance Lorneville in 1984 and remembers needing to leave work early at about lunchtime on the Friday to try to get back to her Ness St house in Invercargill.
She ended up at her mother-in-law’s home on the higher part of Salford St and recalls being surprised at sewage and stormwater pumping out on to the front lawn.
As an Emergency Management Southland community advisor in 2020, Jayne says the smell of flooded homes in Gore brought back memories of 1984 – when people were horrified at the aftermath.
“It was that wet for a long time, saturated wood smell.”
Working with people in 2020, she saw the stresses and strains people were experiencing.
“You realise how important pets are for people, especially for people who live on their own.”
People less affected by floods can tend to forget very, very quickly, and can let things slide, which is why the ‘be prepared’ message is so important, Jayne says.
People who are prepared and have a plan are more organised and can be less stressed when an event occurs, Jayne says.
Southland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group chairperson Neville Cook was the police liaison to Civil Defence in 1984.
He recalls biking in to the Civil Defence headquarters about 1.30am Friday morning and spending the day helping to co-ordinate the response.
Official records show 84.8mm of rain fell over 18 hours, and a rainfall recorder at Invercargill Airport showed a 134mm of rain fell there in the 24 hours to 9am on Friday, 27 January.
The previous daily maximum was 73mm. Neville says the jet boat club was organised to help with rescuing people from flooding homes, with many worried about their pets.
A police car parked on Bay Road was submerged within 10 minutes as the waters rose on the Friday. North Road, from the bridge all the way along to about where Environment Southland is now, was under water, he says.
Meanwhile, farmers were trying to deal with stock standing in flood water, and ensuring the safety of people was the priority.
“The community came together and supported each other, but the floods had a big effect on people and property.”
Neville points out that even if you are not flooded, you may lose power and internet and the ability to travel, and supply lines for the likes of groceries could be cut off.
He reiterates the message around the need for further investment in flood protection as it is ageing, and more frequent and intense weather events are putting it under heightened pressure. "Having a plan, supplies and staying connected is crucial."
More information on that can be found on the www.cdsouthland.nz website.
