New Zealand’s largest city has declared a state of emergency after excessive rain sparked widespread flooding and evacuations.
Friday’s rainfall in Auckland displaced houses, halted traffic, and knocked out power to homes and businesses.
The New Zealand Herald reported that a body was discovered in Wairau Valley on the north side of Auckland.
A concert by Elton John, which was projected to attract 40,000 attendees, was canceled minutes before it was scheduled to begin.
Footage online showed people caught in waist-deep floodwater and rescuers carrying out evacuations on kayaks.
Other photographs depicted food products drifting along the aisles of flooded stores.
“Both infrastructure and emergency services have been overburdened by the storm’s effects,” stated the mayor of Auckland, Wayne Brown.
Local media have claimed that firefighters had received over a thousand requests for aid. Additionally, the New Zealand Defense Force assists with evacuations.
Due to the weather, flights into Auckland and train and ferry services inside the city have been delayed or canceled.
The floods also obstructed major roads, resulting in long traffic lines on highways and several traffic accidents.
At 18:00 local time (06:00 GMT), Auckland Emergency Management said on Twitter that “severe weather” was striking the region, with numerous districts experiencing substantial flooding.
The national weather office predicted 11 hours earlier than 15cm of precipitation had fallen. The record for 24 hours stands at 16.2cm.
The authority has expected severe rains in various regions of Auckland for at least the next five days.
