New Zealand’s Auckland starts clean-up after deadly flash floods

Auckland Jan. 28 (BNA): Authorities in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, began clean-up operations on Saturday after heavy rains triggered flooding and evacuations, with at least two people confirmed dead and two missing in widespread flooding.

A state of emergency remains in force in the city of 1.6 million people in New Zealand’s North Island as rainfall recedes after Friday’s floods in the north, northwest and west, Reuters reports.

Prime Minister Chris Hepkins, who has been in office for less than a week, flew a helicopter over the city before touring flooded homes.

“The level of devastation in some areas is significant,” Hipkins told reporters, describing the event as “unprecedented” in recent memory.

Daylight revealed the impact of the storm, caused by warm air descending from the tropics, causing heavy rain and thunderstorms, said the Auckland Emergency Management Department, part of the city council.

“Auckland took a beating on Friday – the wettest day in Auckland on record – and today we start cleaning up,” the agency’s duty superintendent Andrew Clarke said in a statement, urging residents returning home to survey flood damage.

New Zealand police said two men were found dead. Police said a search was underway for a man who was believed to have been swept away, while another person was unaccounted for after a landslide hit a home in an inner Auckland suburb.

The New Zealand Herald reported that more than 2,000 calls for help and 70 evacuations were made across the city.

Rainfall records were being smashed in the city, with Auckland Airport recording 249 mm (9.8 in) in the 24 hours to 9 a.m. Saturday, surpassing the 1985 high of 161.8 mm.

READ MORE  New Zealand announces free masks, tests as health system struggles with COVID

Some domestic flights have resumed at Auckland Airport, which closed domestic and international operations on Friday.

Air New Zealand said its domestic flights to and from Auckland had resumed from noon, and international flights from Auckland would resume at noon on Sunday.

The airport’s website said that the international terminal building will open its doors to departures from five in the evening, while international flights will resume at 4:30 am on Sunday.

Air New Zealand said 12 of its Auckland-bound international flights diverted overnight.

While the downpour has eased, another period of heavy rain is likely on Sunday, the National Meteorologist said, adding that the impact is “expected to be severe and widespread due to saturated ground.”

He warned that “more floods will occur in many northern regions in the coming days.”

MI







Source link

Leave a Comment