By Lucy Craymer
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand’s Tairawhiti region remains in a state of local emergency due to flooding and landslips with further rain expected to fall Wednesday, according to the region’s civil defence service.
Much of New Zealand’s North Island, including Tairawhiti, also known as East Cape, has experienced heavy rain, big seas and high winds as ex-tropical cyclone Hale has passed over the country. Tairawhiti, which is on the east coast, is the only region in a state of emergency.
More than 220 millimetres (8.6 inches) of rain fell in the region in the past 24 hours.
Flooding has caused the evacuation of some homes, small rural towns to be cut off and around 1,270 homes to be left without power. Rivers are still high and the wastewater network is at capacity, the Tairawhiti Civil Defence said in a statement on Facebook.
“The state of emergency remains in place with our focus on restoring power and access to all our cut off communities, but it may take time,” civil defence added.
It has asked people, where possible, not to travel, to be alert for surface flooding, slips and where the road has fallen away or trees have fallen down.
New Zealand’s government weather provider Metservice is forecasting the region to receive more rain on Wednesday and Thursday.
(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
