WELLINGTON – New Zealand’s military was today deployed to evacuate hundreds of residents from flood-hit areas on South Island, as heavy rains wash away bridges and cut roads.
Rivers burst their banks as a weather system dumped 400mm of rain in two days, an amount that meteorologists said exceeds the entire rainfall so far this year in some areas.
Authorities issued a rare “red” weather warning and declared a state of emergency in the Canterbury region, one of the South Pacific nation’s farming hubs.
The New Zealand Defence Force said one of its helicopters rescued three people in Ashburton near Christchurch, plucking one man from a tree and an elderly couple from the roof of a car.
It said soldiers, trucks and an ambulance are helping in the evacuation effort.
Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown told the press that the entire town of 35,000 has been cut off.
“We have four bridges gone and a lot of damage to roads where the seal’s just been lifted off. We’ve got 17 roads that are shut... there’s a lot of damage.”
Local media reported about 300 homes have been evacuated, with authorities establishing shelters in schools and sports centres.
Forecasters said the weather is expected to ease overnight.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is scheduled to visit the disaster zone tomorrow. – AFP, May 31, 2021
