Hundreds of Dunedin students have had to remain in the city tonight after flooding forced road closures on State Highway One, blocking the route from Maheno to Oamaru. The road is the main route from Dunedin to Christchurch.
30 kilometre-long traffic jams were reported by students returning to the city this afternoon, after being forced to turn around as they approached Oamaru. Surrounding roads that could be used to bypass the highway were also closed due to floods.
The week-long mid-semester break begins today, with many students intending to spend the holiday outside of Dunedin. Several students reported to Critic that their flights to the North Island were booked to leave from Christchurch due to these flights being considerably cheaper than those out of Dunedin.
Due to the road closures, many of these students have not made it to Christchurch Airport. Critic spoke to Otago student Daniel Munro, who has been forced to spend $150 to change his flight as Jetstar would not accommodate for the disruptions. He told Critic, “I’m not only under emotional distress, but monetary distress as well. I guess I’ll just buy a box of beer and wait.”
Several other students have completely missed their flights or are nervously waiting for the roads to open, in the hope they will make it to Christchurch Airport tomorrow morning.
Critic spoke to Jetstar, who defended that “it’s not your fault, but it’s also not our fault.” They explained that either the passenger needs to find a way to get to the airport or they must pay to reschedule the flight. “We’re getting the same thing every day, that bad weather is interfering with getting to the airport.”
Leith River works appear to be working around the University, with excess water remaining withinin the widened river banks.
Authorities rescued a woman by lifting her off the roof of her car with a digger today after Kakanui River floodwaters swept her vehicle off Fuchsia Creek Road, as she was approaching Oamaru. The Easter weekend road toll sits at four fatalities today, after major accidents occurred in Twizel, Hinds, Pukekohe and West Auckland. There have been several other serious injuries caused by Cyclone Ita’s severe weather.
State Highway One will remain closed until the next update at midnight tonight.
Floods force students to put their holidays on hold
