Wellington. More than 400 homes were evacuated on Friday in Nelson, New Zealand’s South Island, due to heavy rain, flooding and landslides. According to the National Emergency Management Agency, a state of local emergency remains in place for the West Coast and Nelson-Tasman regions due to the current severe weather. The agency said in a statement that the floods were caused by inclement weather, necessitating the rescue of people and possible further impact.
Hundreds of locals were unable to return to their homes for the second night this week after prolonged rains, flooding and strong winds, as the Meitai River running through Nelson breaches its banks, Xinhua news agency reported. Civil defense forces are helping residents in the flooded streets.
New Zealand’s national weather authority, MetService, has issued a red alert for heavy rain in Nelson, Buller and Westland in the South Island. The state highway leading to Nelson’s Key is closed due to landslides and flooding.
The government is making an initial contribution of $200,000 ($124,794) to the Mayor’s Relief Fund to help communities in Nelson-Tasman. New Zealand has experienced one of the warmest winters this year due to more severe weather, with many places breaking their annual records with above average years.
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Tags: flood, New Zealand
First Published: 19 August 2022, 17:02 IST
