Four dead after record flooding on North Island
AUCKLAND: New Zealand’s death toll from heavy rain rose to four yesterday as flash floods and landslides on the north island continued for a third day.
New Zealand police said a fourth body was found after deadly record torrential rain and flooding devastated Auckland.
The country’s largest city saw 249 millimetres of rainfall on Friday, smashing the previous record of 161mm in a 24-hour period, and Auckland’s 1.6 million residents remain under a state of emergency.
Battered since Friday, Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, remained under a state of emergency. The nation’s weather forecaster, MetService, warned of more severe weather today for the north island. Intense rainfall could also cause surface and flash flooding, it said.
“We know that there is potential for more adverse weather tonight,” Auckland Emergency Management controller Rachel Kelleher told reporters.
The emergency covers large swaths of the north island, with Waitomo District about 220 km from Auckland, declaring a state of emergency late on Saturday.
Two bodies were found in floodwater at separate locations on Friday night in the northern suburb of Wairau Valley, and a third was discovered on Saturday after a landslide brought down a home in central Auckland.
A man missing after being swept away on Friday in Onewhero, a rural village about 70km south of Auckland, was confirmed dead, police said.
Yesterday a drone operator discovered the body of a man about a kilometre from where he was swept away on Friday at Onewhero, south of Auckland.
“The flooding situation has been a traumatic experience for everyone in Auckland,” New Zealand’s deputy prime minister Carmel Sepuloni said at a press conference in the city yesterday.
“The most horrific part of it has been that we have lost lives... we share our condolences and sadness with that person’s family,” she added when asked about the Onewhero death.
At the peak of the flooding on Friday, around 24,000 homes were without power, according to transport minister Michael Wood, speaking alongside Ms Sepuloni — who is also a member of parliament for the West Auckland suburb Kelston.
She said that by yesterday morning around 3,000 homes were still without electricity, and a number of homes were without water, including hers. She added that companies were working to reinstate electricity and water.
Climate change is causing episodes of heavy rainfall to become more common and more intense in New Zealand, though the impact varies by region. Climate Change Minister James Shaw noted the link to climate change on Saturday when he tweeted his support for those affected by flooding.
Police said yesterday they were assisting with traffic management and road closures in Waitomo District after heavy rainfall “caused numerous slips, flooding and damage to roads”.
In nearby Bay of Plenty there was also “widespread flooding”, police said, as well as a landslide that had knocked down a house and was threatening neighbouring properties.
Thousands of properties remained without power, while hundreds were without water, authorities said.
Still, Air New Zealand resumed international flights in and out of Auckland would resume at noon yesterday, a spokesperson said.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, less than a week in office, 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. People made more than 2,000 calls for help around Auckland on Saturday.