After the devastating storms of the past few weeks, the North Island of New Zealand has once more been hit by heavy rain and flooding. Almost four weeks following the massive flooding in Auckland, record rainfall fell once more on Friday in the largest city in the Pacific state and neighboring regions, as reported by Radio New Zealand. Police urged people to reconsider travel plans to avoid dangers on the roads.
Some drivers were surprised by the masses of water in their vehicles and had to be rescued by the emergency services with boats, it said. Dozens of people sought refuge in evacuation centers. Several roads had to be closed following landslides.
Meteorologists warned that in the metropolis of Auckland with 1.6 million inhabitants and in other areas as much rain is expected within a few hours as usual in two months. There were also warnings of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain for the Northland region and the Coromandel Peninsula.
Warnings of new extreme rain were also issued in the Hawke’s Bay wine region and the city of Gisborne, where tropical cyclone “Gabrielle” raged last week. There were evacuation orders in Esk Valley. Residents were told to take only their clothes and their pets with them and leave the area immediately.
At least eleven people died in the course of “Gabrielle”. The damage is enormous. At the end of January, Auckland had already experienced the wettest day since records began. Three people died. The city’s airport was also temporarily under water.
