More heavy rain expected for New Zealand’s flood-ravaged Auckland

By Lucy Craymer

WELLINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) – New Zealand officials on
Tuesday asked residents in flood-ravaged Auckland to prepare for
the onslaught of another storm as residents start a clean-up
following a series of floods and landslips across New Zealand’s
biggest city over the weekend.

Four people lost their lives in flash floods and landslides
that hit Auckland over the last three days amid record
downpours. A state of emergency remains in place in Auckland.

New Zealand weather provider Metservice said there are
“deep, moisture laden clouds with cold tops” heading to the
northern part of New Zealand and has issued heavy rain warnings
for much of the north of the country from Tuesday afternoon.

“This rain is expected to cause dangerous river conditions
and significant flooding slips and floodwaters are likely to
disrupt travel, making some roads impassable and possibly
isolating communities,” said Auckland Emergency Management
controller Rachel Kelleher.

Auckland has already received record levels of rain in the
past four days and sodden ground and full rivers mean new
rainfall brings increased risks.

Beaches around the city of 1.6 million are off limits due to
contaminated water, several main roads remain closed, and all
Auckland schools will remain shut until Feb. 7. Evacuation
centres have been set up across the city.

Kelleher said Auckland domestic airport was now running at
full capacity and Auckland International Airport was operating
at near capacity and hoped to return to normal operations soon.

The council has designated 77 houses as uninhabitable and
has prevented people from entering them. A further 318
properties were deemed at risk, with access restricted to
certain areas for short periods.

The insurance industry expects the costs associated with the
flood to top the NZ$97 million spent following the 2021 floods
on New Zealand’s West Coast.
(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by William Maclean)