Heavy rains lashed New Zealand's North Island on Sunday, triggering landslides, flooding and collapsing roads, as the death toll rose to four after a missing person was confirmed dead.
Heavy rains lashed New Zealand's North Island on Sunday, triggering landslides, flooding and collapsing roads, as the death toll rose to four after a missing person was confirmed dead.
Hit by rain since Friday, Auckland, New Zealand's largest city of 1.6 million people, remained under a state of emergency. The country's weather forecaster MetService warned of more severe weather for the North Island on Sunday and Monday. It has been said that intense rainfall can also cause surface and flash floods.
The focus of the emergency has shifted south with the Waitomo district - about 220 kilometers (137 miles) from Auckland - declaring a state of emergency late on Saturday.
Police confirmed that a man missing after being swept away on Friday in Wanwero, a rural village about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Auckland, had died.
"The most terrible part of this is that we have lost lives," Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni told reporters in Auckland.
Heavy rainfall events are becoming more common and more intense in New Zealand due to climate change, although the impact varies by region. Climate Change Minister James Shaw noted the climate change link on Saturday when he tweeted his support for those affected by the floods.
On Sunday, police said they were assisting with traffic management and road closures in the area after heavy rains caused "numerous slippages, flooding and damage to roads".
Police said there was also "extensive flooding" in the nearby Bay of Plenty, as well as a landslide that toppled a house and threatened neighboring properties.
Thousands of properties are without power, while hundreds are without water, officials said on Sunday.
But Air New Zealand said the airline's international flights in and out of Auckland would resume from noon on Sunday (2300 GMT on Saturday).
On Saturday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, less than a week into office, flew by helicopter over Auckland before visiting flood-hit homes. He described the impact of the floods in the city as "unprecedented" in recent memory.
The New Zealand Herald reported on Saturday that people made more than 2,000 calls for help and 70 evacuations around the country's biggest city, Auckland.
No comments:
Post a Comment