Wellington - Two people are believed to have drowned in
floodwaters, a town of about 30,000 people was left without power,
homes were evacuated and schools closed as torrential rain and
gale-force winds lashed New Zealand Wednesday.
A civil defence emergency was declared in the Marlborough region
at the top of the South Island as the second major storm in a week
carved an 1,100-kilometre swathe down the country, wreaking havoc in
its path.
A woman was swept to her death in the Bay of Islands in northern
New Zealand as she tried to cross a swollen creek to get to her
house. Weather conditions forced police to abandon a search for her
partner believed to have been with her.
The storm raged from the northernmost region of the North Island
down to the South Island, toppling trees and power lines, blocking
roads and leaving widespread flooding.
Residents of 14 houses had to leave their homes in the north
Auckland suburb of Torbay, as they were threatened with being swept
away by a huge landslide.
A mini tornado ripped roofs off houses in Mount Maunganui on the
east coast of the North Island and emergency workers had to dodge
flying sheets of roofing torn from buildings in Greymouth on the west
coast of the South Island.
The 30,000 residents of Levin, 95 kilometres north of the capital
Wellington, and the surrounding area were told to stay indoors after
120-kilometre-per-hour winds toppled hundreds of trees, bringing down
power lines and leaving them to face the night without electricity.
Air New Zealand cancelled a number of flights in and out of
Wellington airport because of the winds. The South Island ferry
terminal at Picton was flooded and closed.
The MetService warned that heavy rain and winds of up to 130km/h
would continue into the night and said a huge low-pressure system
over New Zealand was not expected to move away before the weekend.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story