Death toll from heavy rain in New Zealand rose to four on Sunday as flash floods and landslides on the north island entered the third day.
The rain that has continued to batter the Australian nation has put Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, under a state of emergency and the nation’s weather forecaster, MetService, has said there is no end in sight yet and there could be more severe weather on Sunday and Monday for the north island. Intense rainfall could also cause surface and flash flooding.
“We know that there is potential for more adverse weather tonight,” Auckland Emergency Management controller Rachel Kelleher told reporters.
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The emergency covers large swaths of the north island, with Waitomo District about 220 km (140 miles) from Auckland, declaring a state of emergency late on Saturday.
“The most horrific part of it is that we’ve lost lives,” Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni said in Auckland, a city of 1.6 million.
Heavy rainfall that has become more common and more intense in New Zealand in recent years has been linked to Climate change, albeit with varying impacts in the regions, Climate Change Minister James Shaw noted in a tweet on Saturday where he expressed support for those affected by flooding.
On Sunday, Police said that they were assisting with traffic management and road closures in Waitomo District after heavy rainfall “caused numerous slips, flooding and damage to roads”. Thousands of properties remained without power, while hundreds were without water, authorities said.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who just resumed office a few days ago, flew by helicopter over Auckland on Saturday and toured flood-hit homes. He described the flood impact in the city as “unprecedented” in recent memory.
Story was adapted from Reuters.
