New Zealand roiled by flash floods, landslides for third day
Recasts, adds Auckland emergency services and Air New Zealand details
Jan 29 (Reuters) -New Zealand's death toll from heavy rain rose to four on Sunday as flash floods and landslides on the north island continued for a third day.
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 on Sunday and Monday 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 (140 miles) from Auckland, declaring a state of emergency late on Saturday.
A man missing after being swept away on Friday in Onewhero, a rural village about 70 km (40 miles) south of Auckland, was confirmed dead, police said.
"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.
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 on Sunday 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 on Sunday (2300 GMT on Saturday), 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 assistance and 70 evacuations around Auckland - the nation's largest city - due to the inundation, the New Zealand Herald reported Saturday.
Reporting by Sam McKeith; Editing by Josie Kao, Edwina Gibbs and William Mallard
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
