By Praveen Menon, Lucy Craymer and Laura Chung
A state of emergency was declared in New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland on Friday as torrential rains caused widespread flooding and evacuations, closing the city’s airports and forcing organisers to cancel a scheduled concert by Elton John.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown declared a state of emergency due to the extent of the “damage, displacement and disruption” caused by the weather and the need for response agencies to draw on more powers.
“The region has experienced widespread damage from flooding and torrential rain, with reports of slips and inundation,” Brown said in a statement.
“Infrastructure and emergency services alike have been overwhelmed by the impacts of the storm.”
Brown confirmed a body had been found at Wairau Valley in Auckland’s north, but police are yet to confirm if the death was flood-related.
Auckland Emergency Management said in a post on Twitter that northern, north-western and western parts of the city were affected by significant flooding, with conditions expected to worsen.
Residents flee floodwaters in West Auckland.Credit:1News
The agency advised residents in flood-prone areas to prepare to evacuate and opened an evacuation centre in West Auckland.
Between 8pm and 10pm on Friday night, more than 131mm of rain fell in Auckland. MetService said a record amount of rain had fallen in the city in the past 24 hours. By 1am, the region had recorded 249mm of rain, exceeding the previous 24-hour record of 161.8mm set in February 1985.
Videos on social media showed firefighters, police and defence force staff rescuing stranded people from flooded homes using ropes and rescue boats. No details were immediately available on how many people had been evacuated so far.
Major roads were also blocked by the floods, causing long traffic queues on highways. Police said they were working with Fire and Emergency New Zealand to respond to calls and asked people to stay off the roads if possible.
Some residents were told to leave and head to an evacuation centre in West Auckland.Credit:1news
Auckland’s domestic and international airports were closed due to widespread flooding. Images on social media showed the check-in area in the international terminal knee-deep in flood water.
Most of the 2000 people stranded at Auckland Airport overnight were able to head home, as floodwaters subsided, Stuff reported.
The country’s new prime minister Chris Hipkins said the government would provide as much support and help as possible. He said movement around Auckland was difficult and advised people to stay where they were if safe.
Three evacuation centres are up and running, with one assisting at least 40 people.
Hipkins planned to return to Auckland in the morning, but said he had been delayed because of the bad weather. He said he would monitor the situation from Wellington.
British musician Elton John’s concert in the city, which was expected to be attended by about 40,000 people, was cancelled.
“Given the weather, tonight’s show has been cancelled. Our operations team is working to redirect special event buses to help get people back home,” Auckland Transport said in a statement on Twitter.
Reuters, Stuff NZ
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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiiAFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L3dvcmxkL29jZWFuaWEvc3RhdGUtb2YtZW1lcmdlbmN5LWRlY2xhcmVkLWluLWF1Y2tsYW5kLWFmdGVyLXRvcnJlbnRpYWwtcmFpbnMtZmxhc2gtZmxvb2RzLTIwMjMwMTI3LXA1Y2czeS5odG1s0gGIAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLnRoZWFnZS5jb20uYXUvd29ybGQvb2NlYW5pYS9zdGF0ZS1vZi1lbWVyZ2VuY3ktZGVjbGFyZWQtaW4tYXVja2xhbmQtYWZ0ZXItdG9ycmVudGlhbC1yYWlucy1mbGFzaC1mbG9vZHMtMjAyMzAxMjctcDVjZzN5Lmh0bWw?oc=5
2023-01-27 11:41:12Z
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