Auckland floods: Death toll rises as torrential rains and landslides hit New Zealand | New Zealand

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Heavy rains continued to lash New Zealand’s North Island, triggering landslides, flash floods and causing road collapses, with the death toll rising to four after a missing person was confirmed dead.

Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city with a population of 1.6 million, remained under a state of emergency on Sunday, amid torrential rain since Friday. The country’s forecaster, MetService, warned of more severe weather on Sunday and Monday for the North Island. She added that heavy rainfall may also cause surface and rapid flooding.

Since then, the focus of the emergency has shifted south, with the Waitomo region – located about 220 kilometers (137 miles) from Auckland – declaring a state of emergency late Saturday.

Police confirmed that a man who went missing after being washed away on Friday in the rural village of Onehiro, 70 km south of Auckland, had died.

“The most terrifying part of it is that we lost lives,” Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Cipollone told reporters in Auckland.

Climate change is causing bouts of heavy rainfall to become more common and more intense in New Zealand, although the impact varies by region. Climate Change Secretary James Shaw made the link to climate change on Saturday when he tweeted his support for those affected by the floods.

Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the AKL floods 💚

Thanks to community leaders @RichardHills__chloeswarbrick and others for sharing important updates.

This is climate change.

We all have a responsibility to make sure that the New Zealand we leave for our children is safe and habitable.

— James Shaw (@jamespeshaw) January 28, 2023

On Sunday, police said they were helping to manage traffic and road closures in that area after heavy rains “caused many slides, floods and damaged roads.”

Police said there was also “widespread flooding” in the nearby Bay of Plenty, as well as a landslide that destroyed a home and threatened nearby properties.

On Sunday, the authorities said that thousands of properties are still without electricity, while water has been cut off for hundreds.

But Air New Zealand said the airline’s international flights to and from Auckland will resume at noon on Sunday (2300 GMT Saturday).

On Saturday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, less than a week in office, flew a helicopter over Auckland before touring flood-stricken homes. He described the flood’s impact on the city as “unprecedented” in recent memory.

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