Selwyn District Council has declared a Local Civil Defence Emergency.

Selwyn Civil Defence controller Douglas Marshall says the emergency declaration will help authorities to better manage the situation across the district.

“Many areas of the district are continuing to be affected by flooding and disruption of services.”

“With a declaration in place we will be better placed to manage road closures which are expected across the district throughout today, especially if the state highway network is affected.”

Mr Marshall says motorists should expect continuing flooding and road closures and restrictions. Areas around the Selwyn River, and between SH1 and Leeston are likely to be disrupted.

“We really do urge people to stay off the roads. Travel is likely to be disrupted for some time, and we do not want to see travellers becoming trapped. The best thing for people to do is avoid driving for the foreseeable future.”

Canterbury Civil Defence said Selwyn residents in the Sheffield, Waddington and Springfield areas have been encouraged to self-evacuate if they are feeling anxious or concerned about their situation.

Canterbury Civil Defence said for any residents without friends or family support, a community-led emergency centre is now open at the Darfield Recreation Centre.

Over 100mm of rain has fallen in the last 24-hours for inland Canterbury

Timaru and Ashburton District’s have both declared local state of emergencies..

All areas of the Waimakariri River Regional Park and Ashley Rakahuri Regional Park are now closed due to flooding.