New flood alerts in New Zealand spark concerns of increased damage

As parts of New Zealand brace for more extreme weather, a state of emergency has been declared in the country’s northernmost region. Northland’s rescue workers are sounding the alarm that the region may experience record rainfall on Tuesday and Wednesday. These alerts follow devastating flooding in Auckland on Friday. There were fatalities of four people, and thousands of homes were damaged. Concerns have been raised that Tuesday’s predicted heavy rainfall could further damage the city if it leads to the overflow of storm water drains.

Due to the impending bad weather and the need to keep roads clear to repair critical infrastructure, physical attendance at Auckland schools has been suspended until February 7th. With hundreds of passengers stranded since Friday’s cancellation of all domestic and international flights, Auckland Airport has sandbags and pumps ready in case more flooding occurs.

Local media have reported that new slips have blocked roads on major highways north of Auckland, which have been closed since the heavy rains on Friday. Chris Hipkins, the country’s new prime minister, said over the weekend that he blamed climate change for the extreme weather on Friday.

It’s a one in a hundred chance of weather, but we’ve been having a lot of them lately, he said. My guess is that listeners will detect a hidden message. Rainfall totals of 200 millimetres (7.9 inches) are predicted for some parts of Northland, prompting the first-ever issuance of New Zealand’s most severe weather alert.

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People living in potentially dangerous areas have been warned to get ready to evacuate. Other parts of the North Island and the southern tip of the South Island may also be at risk of flooding, according to meteorologists. Mr. Hipkins has stated unequivocally that he will accept assistance from Australia if necessary, as stated by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has stated that his country “stands ready to support New Zealand as needed.”