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Landslides near homes in Auckland
Photo: IMAGO/DAVID ROWLAND / IMAGO/AAP
Heavy rainfall and extreme winds have caused severe damage to homes and infrastructure in parts of New Zealand.
In response to the destruction, the government has declared a national emergency.
"This is an extraordinary weather event that will have a major impact, especially on the North Island," said Disaster Relief Secretary Kieran McAnulty on Tuesday.
"We are confronted with severe flooding, landslides, damaged roads and damaged infrastructure everywhere," the politician continued.
The storm "Gabrielle" hit New Zealand on Monday with strong winds with gusts of up to 140 kilometers per hour and heavy rainfall.
Trees fell in many places and numerous roads and houses were damaged.
A firefighter was injured west of the metropolis of Auckland, and another is still being sought.
The two had been inspecting a damaged home when the building was hit by a landslide.
Tens of thousands of people were without electricity, and many towns were still cut off from the outside world on Tuesday.
Even rescue workers cannot penetrate everywhere due to damaged roads, and aerial operations are only possible to a limited extent due to the weather conditions.
This is especially true in the extreme north of the North Island.
In parts of the country, soldiers are on disaster relief missions.
The Foreign Office is also warning travelers
Meteorologists also warned of new violent storms.
"This is a significant disaster with a real threat to the lives of New Zealanders," McAnulty said in declaring the national emergency.
This had only been imposed twice before in New Zealand: in the Christchurch massacre in 2019 with more than 50 dead and because of the corona pandemic.
The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin updated its travel and safety information for New Zealand on Monday evening in view of the storm.
German citizens in the country should definitely follow the weather report regularly.
Prohibitions, warnings, information signs and instructions from local authorities should be observed.
jok/AFP
