New Zealand: Auckland expects more rain after deadly floods

Auckland is expected to receive further heavy rain in the coming days, authorities said on Monday. 

New Zealand's largest city was hit by flash floods and landslides over the past three days, with record rainfall. Four people have lost their lives. A state of emergency is in place for Auckland, but was lifted for the Waitomo region. 

"My team's current focus and our big worry is that some Aucklanders might think the worse is behind us, but it isn't," Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told reporters.

How much rain is expected in Auckland?

More heavy rains have been predicted on Tuesday. "We have more adverse weather coming and we need to prepare for that," Auckland Emergency Management duty controller Rachel Kelleher told a media conference.

The north of New Zealand's North Island is receiving more rain than normal due to the La Nina weather event.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said Auckland has already recorded more than eight times its average January rainfall and 40% of its annual average
rainfall.

"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," a MetService statement said.

How much damage have the floods caused?

At least 5,000 homes and businesses were being assessed for flood and landslide damage and several roads remained closed after more than 15 centimeters (6 inches) of rain fell in three hours.

The city council has designated 69 houses as uninhabitable, and another 300 were at risk. 

Fire and Emergency services said they received 30 calls for help overnight, including one when a car shelter slid downhill due to a landslide.

Flights to and from Auckland airport are experiencing delays and cancellations, with several local and international passengers stranded. The airport said in a statement that services had resumed, but disruptions could go on for days. Schools have been closed till February 7, and beaches around the city will also remain closed.

"There has been very significant damage across Auckland. Obviously there were a
number of homes damaged by flooding but also extensive earth movements," Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told television station TVNZ. 

He also said around 350 people were in need of emergency accommodation.

tg/rt (AP, Reuters)