(Reuters) – Torrential rain in northern and central parts of New Zealand eased on Saturday after four days of downpours that forced hundreds of people from their homes.
Nelson, in New Zealand’s South Island, has been the worst affected with hundreds of homes evacuated earlier in the week and some residences declared uninhabitable due to rain.
Heavy rain has also hit the North Island causing towns to be cut off, submerging roads and houses and prompting evacuations.
There were around 100 new evacuations overnight https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/weather-more-heavy-rain-flood-fears-in-nelson-marlborough-kaitaia-cut-off-by-slips/DCT5R37ENS3YPTEI5VXKM7RZU4/?utm_campaign=nzh_tw&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=nzh_tw#Echobox=1660938174-1 across the country, The New Zealand Herald reported on Saturday.
In the Tasman district neighbouring Nelson, emergency authorities said “many more” evacuations were carried out overnight, with a total 508 homes now evacuated in the region.
“That looks set to increase even more,” Nelson Tasman Civil Defense said on Facebook on Saturday.
The inundated area had broadened due to overnight rain and now included the Cannan-Upper Takaka area and the Richmond ranges.
Weather forecaster Metservice said on Saturday that rains in northern and central parts of New Zealand had eased and that warnings and watch alerts had been lifted.
A warning for heavy rain was still current for southern Fiordland in the southwest of the South Island.
“A couple of fronts are expected to affect Fiordland from this afternoon to Sunday morning, bringing a period of heavy rain in southern Fiordland, where a Heavy Rain Watch is now in force,” Metservice said on its website.
Commenting on the natural disaster, Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate said on Saturday that they were keeping affected New Zealanders in their thoughts.
“Seeing the devastation caused by the floods in New Zealand is a reminder of the herculean effort we must all make to protect our planet,” the royal couple posted on Twitter.
(Reporting by Sam McKeith; Editing by Sam Holmes)
