Three houses evacuated after slip comes down in heavy rain in Timaru
A bank as slipped down behind properties in Douglas St in Timaru.
Residents of three properties in central Timaru have been evacuated after a bank collapsed.
The houses are next to a property which saw its retaining wall fall after a heavy rain event in July 2017.
Timaru District Council communications manager Stephen Doran said a section of a bank had slipped down behind the middle of the three houses on Sunday afternoon, and the dwellings either side of it were also evacuated as a precaution.
The slip was a couple of meters wide and can be seen beneath the bottom of the fence.
There was some debris from the slip on the roof of the house and dirt built up behind a retaining wall, but it was otherwise intact, he said.
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* Property owner says house, land safe after slip
* Wall collapses on Douglas Street during July rain event
The property will be assessed by council on Monday.
"I don't think the houses are at any great risk," he said.
ll the affected residents were asked to stay elsewhere overnight as there was more rain forecast; "and because there's been a slip in this area before".
The property at the top of the bank has not been evacuated, as it was situated a good 20 metres back from the bank, he said. Council will reassess the properties on Monday.
The road has been reduced to one lane temporarily.
Traffic has been reduced to one-lane in the area.
Doran said storm drains elsewhere had been coping well during the heavy rain around the district, as the council had teams out clearing drains prior.
"Autumn, rain and wind are the worst things for storm drains."
The retaining wall on this property in Douglas St collapsed in 2017.
- Stuff
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