WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND (AP) – Torrential rain and wild weather in Auckland yesterday caused disruptions throughout the city and an Elton John concert to be cancelled just before it was due to start.
Weather agency MetService warned of flash flooding and hazardous driving conditions throughout the city. Yesterday night, transport authorities closed parts of State Highway 1, the main highway that bisects Auckland.
Video posted online showed waist-deep water in some places, and authorities were asking residents in flood-prone areas to be prepared in case they needed to evacuate.
Lawmaker Ricardo Menéndez posted a video of water surging into residential houses.
“We’ve just had to evacuate our home as the water was already rising rapidly and coming in aggressively,” he tweeted.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it had taken over 1,000 calls for help, but that many calls were from people who had flooded properties.
The agency was urging callers to clear the lines for those in immediate danger.
The unseasonable weather also caused some flights to be delayed or cancelled.
Auckland Airport said it had reduced its runway operations after an arriving aircraft had damaged runway lighting.
“This is largely impacting international arrivals and departures and larger aircraft travelling domestically,” the airport wrote on Twitter. “Our maintenance team is on site and is working hard to fix the damage.”
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told Radio New Zealand, “We need the rain to stop. That’s the main issue.”
