West Coast residents are bracing for a second major downpour in a week, after avoiding damage last night.
The Buller River swollen after heavy rainfall. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
Buller emergency management controller Al Lawn said Westport was lucky to "dodge a bullet" with 20mm of rain recorded at one gauge, compared to 300mm recorded at a gauge 20km away.
About 160 Westport households in flood-prone areas were asked to evacuate yesterday, and residents were allowed to return this morning.
Al Lawn said this was a better outcome than risking having to carry out evacuations during the night.
"We're happy we took the precautionary approach. We'd rather do that than not."
A red Metservice rain warning will remain in place for Westland until 10pm on Thursday, and a second front is expected to hit the region from midday tomorrow.
A state of emergency has been in place for the entire West Coast since Tuesday night.
One resident named Barbara was keeping sandbags stacked around her house after getting through unscathed last night.
She said it was safest to expect the worst for the second bout of rain.
"We don't know for sure, no. They've just said it's a huge catchment that our water comes from, so while the rivers may be going down at the moment, there's more rain coming."
Gary Forsythe lives on Romilly Street and was asked to consider evacuating yesterday.
He decided to stay put but got up during the night to check how his street was looking.
"I tend to keep an eye on the river and the chart on the West Coast Regional Council, so it gives you the river flow and if you keep an eye on that then generally you can sort of summarise to yourself and make up your own mind," he said.
"But who knows, you can't do anything about the weather, can you."
Speaking to media, Buller Mayor Jamie Cleine said the frequency of floods was putting a strain on locals.
"It's extremely troubling for people, financially and mentally," he said.
But he stressed the council was doing all it could to provide a long-term solution, with a case for a flood recovery plan awaiting approval from the government.
Councils in the region are seeking $45 million from the government for the $54m project.
"The issue has always been around not only what can be done, but how you fund it."
The Westport Emergency Operations Centre will remain open in coming days, and beds are set up in the local NBS Theatre for potential evacuees.