Foreign
Airport flooded, homes swamped in New Zealand
Published
1 year agoon
By
Vida Essel-LampteyNew Zealand‘s largest city has declared a state of emergency after torrential rain prompted widespread flooding and evacuations.
The downpour in Auckland on Friday shifted houses, stalled traffic and cut power to homes and businesses.
The New Zealand Herald reported that a body had been found in Wairau Valley on Auckland’s north shore.
An Elton John concert, expected to be attended by 40,000 fans, was cancelled minutes before it was due to start.
Footage online showed people trapped in waist-deep floodwater and rescuers carrying out evacuations on kayaks.
Other pictures showed grocery items floating down the aisles of several flooded supermarkets.
“Infrastructure and emergency services alike have been overwhelmed by the impacts of the storm,” said Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.
Floods at #Auckland airport #NewZealand #AKL pic.twitter.com/ud0OqofrLd
— Emily H (@Handles_1992) January 27, 2023
Local media reported that fire crews have fielded over 1,000 calls for assistance. The New Zealand Defence Force is also helping with evacuations.
Flights into Auckland, as well as rail and ferry services within the city, have been delayed or cancelled due to the weather.
Major roads were also blocked off by the floods, causing long traffic queues on highways, with several traffic accidents reported.
Auckland Emergency Management said on Twitter at 18:00 local time (06:00 GMT) that “severe weather” was affecting the region, with several areas affected by significant flooding.
Two hours later, the national weather authority estimated that 15cm of rain had fallen in the previous 11 hours. The record for a 24-hour period stands at 16.2cm.
The authority has forecast heavy rains in various parts of Auckland for at least the next five days.
Source: BBC
You may like
-
Turkey arrest180 over quake-collapsed buildings
-
Christian Atsu found dead
-
Turkey-Syria earthquake: Mother and baby rescued twice in three days
-
Earthquake: Turkey arrests contractors over collapse buildings
-
Christian Atsu: Hatayspor official says there was mistaken identity, player still not found
-
Dozens killed in Venezuela landslides, homes swept away
Mahama leads NDC to mourn with Kufuor over wife’s passing
Former President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday, October 4 led a delegation from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to visit...
Former First Lady of Ghana Theresa Kufuor reported dead
The former First Lady of Ghana and wife of Ghana’s former President, John Agyekum Kufour, Mrs Theresa Kufuor has been...
The most powerful tool for change is the right to vote – Mahama
The 2024 flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, is rallying Ghanaains who have grown disillusioned with...
PFJ was a mere state resource looting platform – Minority
The Minority has descended heavily on the Akufo-Addo-led government for launching a second phase of the flagship Planting for Food...
ECOWAS is desecrating Ghana
The Director of Legal Affairs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Abraham Amaliba has said the Economy Community of...
Prof Gyampo elected President of UTAG, University of Ghana branch
A Senior Lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana (Legon), Prof Ransford Gyampo have been elected...