3 dead, 1 missing as rain pounds New Zealand's largest city - The Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Authorities said Saturday that 3 radical had died and astatine slightest 1 was missing aft grounds levels of rainfall pounded New Zealand’s largest city, causing wide disruption.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins flew to Auckland connected a subject level aft a authorities of exigency was declared successful the region.

“Our precedence is to guarantee that Aucklanders are safe, that they’re housed and that they person entree to the indispensable services that they need,” Hipkins said.

He said the metropolis was successful for a large cleanup and that radical should stay indoors if possible. He said a interruption successful the upwind could beryllium temporary, with much dense rainfall forecast.

“This is an unprecedented lawsuit successful caller memory,” Hipkins said.

Friday was the wettest time ever recorded successful Auckland, according to upwind agencies, arsenic the magnitude of rainfall that would typically autumn implicit the full summertime deed successful a azygous day. On Friday evening, much than 15 centimeters (6 inches) of rainfall fell successful conscionable 3 hours successful immoderate places.

The rainfall closed highways and poured into homes. Hundreds of radical were stranded astatine Auckland Airport overnight aft the airdrome stopped each flights and parts of the terminal were flooded.

Police said they recovered 1 man’s assemblage successful a flooded culvert and different successful a flooded carpark. They said 1 idiosyncratic was missing aft being swept distant by floodwaters portion different remained unaccounted for aft a landslide brought down a location successful the suburb of Remuera.

Hipkins aboriginal said 3 radical had been confirmed dormant portion astatine slightest 1 remained missing. He said powerfulness had been restored to astir places, though astir 3,500 homes remained without electricity.

Video posted online showed chest-deep h2o successful immoderate places.

Lawmaker Ricardo Menéndez posted a video of h2o surging into houses. “We’ve conscionable had to evacuate our location arsenic the h2o was already rising rapidly and coming successful aggressively,” helium tweeted.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said crews had responded to much than 700 incidents crossed the portion and unit had taken much than 2,000 exigency calls.

“We had each disposable vocation and unpaid unit connected the roadworthy responding to the astir superior events,” said territory manager Brad Mosby.

Mosby said crews had rescued 126 radical who were trapped successful houses oregon cars, oregon who had been progressive successful conveyance crashes.

Air New Zealand said it resumed home flights successful and retired of Auckland connected Saturday afternoon, but wasn’t yet definite erstwhile planetary flights would resume.

“The flooding has had a immense interaction our Auckland operations,” said David Morgan, the airline’s main operational integrity and information officer. “We’re moving connected getting customers to their last destinations and getting our unit and craft backmost successful the close place. It mightiness instrumentality a fewer days to get everything backmost connected track.”

In a bid of updates connected Twitter, Auckland Airport said radical were capable to permission the airdrome aboriginal Saturday for their homes oregon accommodation aft hundreds spent the nighttime successful the terminal.

“It’s been a agelong and challenging nighttime astatine Auckland Airport, we convey everyone for ongoing patience,” the airdrome wrote.

“Unfortunately, owed to earlier flooding successful the baggage hall, we are presently incapable to instrumentality checked luggage to you,” the airdrome wrote. “Your hose volition marque arrangements for its instrumentality astatine a aboriginal time.”

The tempest besides caused an Elton John performance to beryllium canceled conscionable earlier it was owed to commencement Friday night. A 2nd performance by John that was planned astatine the stadium connected Saturday nighttime was besides canceled.

About 40,000 radical were expected to be each performance astatine Mt Smart Stadium. Thousands were already astatine the venue Friday nighttime erstwhile organizers decided to cancel not agelong earlier John was owed to instrumentality the signifier astatine 7:30 p.m.

Many concertgoers who had braved the conditions were frustrated the determination hadn’t been made hours earlier.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown defended disapproval that his bureau did not pass the seriousness of the concern good and held disconnected connected declaring an exigency until astir 9:30 p.m. Friday.

He said the timing of the exigency declaration was guided by experts.

“We volition reappraisal everything that took place,” Brown said. “We’ve got to marque definite we had the coordination, and the consultation with the public, correct.”