Hundreds of people evacuated due to flooding in New Zealand

Sydney (Australia), August 18 (EFE).- More than three hundred families were forced to evacuate due to flooding caused by heavy rains in New Zealand’s South Island this Thursday and led to the declaration of a state of emergency in some cities.

Radio New Zealand reports that the powerful storm which has mainly affected the north and west coast of the South Island this week has worsened with more than 300mm of rain between midnight and today.

The city of Nelson and the Tasman district, in addition to parts of the South Island’s west coast, were declared under a state of emergency this week, with extensive damage to property, roads and other infrastructure, according to images released. media. New Zealanders.

In Nelson, more than 300 families have been displaced since Wednesday by the worst storms and the rising Matai River, New Zealand Civil Defense representative Alec said today. New Zealand.

Bad weather is also affecting the North Island, including New Zealand’s most populous city, Auckland, where a combination of rain and strong winds have reported downed trees.

Officials are predicting 100 to 140 millimeters of rain in the country’s northernmost region of Northland and the flooding of its Kayo River between today and tomorrow, according to the MetService, the country’s weather service.

Earlier this month, the New Zealand government, which declared a climate emergency in 2020, released its first national adaptation plan to deal with fires, floods and other natural disasters, which are becoming more frequent and more brutal in the country as the planet warms.

“Climate change is a critical issue for our country and is already having a serious impact on New Zealand life through more frequent and intense storms, floods, droughts, bushfires and, over time, rising sea levels. Amanda Whiting, CEO of IAG, the country’s largest insurer, New Zealand today is a reported in the report. EFE

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