Heavy rain and wind have hit New Zealand in recent days. So far, they have claimed one victim, flooded large areas and left tens of thousands of households without electricity. writes TASR according to an AFP report.
- A state of emergency has been declared in the North Island due to extreme storms.
- The floods claimed one life and flooded many areas.
- More than 10,000 households were left without electricity in both the North and South Islands.
- The wind near Wellington was the strongest since 2013, reaching 193 km/h.
- Heavy rain and wind hit New Zealand.
A state of emergency has been declared in the North Island since Friday due to strong storms. Local authorities are talking about the “rain of the century”. A man trapped in his car near the town of Otorohanga by floodwaters on Friday has died due to bad weather, police said.
The storm is moving south. The capital city of Wellington was hit on Monday, and the capital of the South Island, Christchurch, will probably be hit on Tuesday. Energy grid operator Powerco says around 10,000 households in the North Island were without power on Tuesday. Energy company Orion has informed that another 200 households are also without power in the vicinity of Christchurch.
According to the public broadcaster RNZ, the flood blocked the only access road to the Lake Ferry estate near Wellington, where local residents form human chains to carry supplies across the washed-out bridge.
New Zealand’s weather service MetService said on Monday that the wind around Wellington is the strongest since 2013. Wind gusts reached speeds of up to 193 kilometers per hour in some places.
