Wellington: on hundreds of families New ZealandThe South Island was forced to leave its home on Thursday after flooding declared a state of emergency in three regions.
The tropical-fuelled storm brought more than 30 centimeters (11 in) of rain to parts of the South Island, with rivers eroding their banks. The extreme weather has also brought down trees, blocking major roads.
A state of emergency was declared on Wednesday bullerFeather Western coastAnd Nelson Where 233 houses have been evacuated after a month of rain in just 15 hours.
The deluge turned Nelson’s main river, the Maitai, into a torrent – flooding homes, exposing pipes and leaving streets knee-deep in water.
City Mayor Rachel Reese described the floods as “an event in a hundred years”, as search and rescue teams, as well as military personnel, helped people along the submerged streets.
He warned the locals against treating all the water as contaminated, as some sewers were broken.
Nelson resident Sam Lagrutta He said the situation was “horrible” after the police gave him just five minutes to leave the house.
“I literally just grabbed a carry-on bag and filled it with my passport, wallet and anything else I could find important,” he told the New Zealand Herald.
A further 160 homes were also told to evacuate along the west coast of the South Island.
Buller has been hit by flooding repeatedly over the years.
Mayor Jamie Klein said the repeated evacuations had a huge impact on a community that was preparing itself for more flooding.
“It’s going to be extremely upsetting for people financially and mentally. This is our reality until a long-term solution can be found,” he told news site Stuff.
Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnalty was due to visit Nelson on Thursday, with more heavy rain expected.
North Island has also been affected after three people were injured in a car accident in Northland after a tree fell on State Highway One.
The wet winter continues after New Zealand’s most wet July on record.
Before the damage could be repaired, New Zealand’s largest insurer IAG has said that construction in flood prone areas must stop.
Climate change is having a huge impact on the insurance sector as 10 major floods in the past two years have caused a total loss of $400 million (US$251,260), the insurer said.
About one percent of New Zealand’s homes – 20,000 properties – are at risk of flooding.
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