Violent storms hit New Zealand just weeks after catastrophic flooding.
A state of emergency applies in parts of the country.
Auckland - A little over two weeks after the devastating floods in New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, the region is again hit by severe storms: Tropical cyclone "Gabrielle" swept over the country's North Island on Monday (February 13) with heavy rain and strong winds.
The first foothills had already reached the Pacific state on Sunday.
Tropical storm rages in New Zealand: "monster waves", floods, state of emergency
For the beginning of the week, meteorologists are now expecting "monster waves" and a "huge storm", as the newspaper
New Zealand Herald
reported.
As a precaution, numerous flights were canceled in Auckland and other cities.
Many trains also stood still.
Most schools remained closed due to the weather.
Tens of thousands of homes were without power.
In strong winds with gusts of up to 140 kilometers per hour and heavy rain, trees fell and numerous roads and houses were damaged.
A state of emergency was declared in large parts of the country because of the storm on Monday.
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Tropical Storm Gabrielle caused a state of emergency in some parts of New Zealand - like here in Titirangi, a suburb of Auckland.
© Diego Opatowski/AFP
"Wild weather" in New Zealand: "The worst is yet to come"
In towns like Whangarei in the Northland region and on the Coromandel Peninsula, residents have been urged to stay safe.
"We still have the worst ahead of us," said Roger Bell of New Zealand's civil defense.
In some cases, gusts of up to 160 kilometers per hour have already been measured, the meteorological service MetService tweeted.
"We still have a few days of wild weather ahead of us," forecast MetService expert Angus Hines.
There have never been so many severe weather warnings of the highest level in such a short time.
More flooding, power outages and road closures are expected through Tuesday.
"Gabrielle" should also reach parts of the South Island during the day.
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The storm also caused landslides near Auckland.
©David Rowland/dpa
New Zealand Prime Minister warns: 'Stay indoors if you can'
Overall, around a third of New Zealand's 5.1 million residents are affected by the effects of the tropical storm - including Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who was stranded in Auckland on Monday.
He warned the New Zealanders not to go outdoors because of the storm.
"Things will get worse before they get better," he warned at a press conference: "Stay inside if you can."
At the end of January, four people died in a catastrophic flood in Auckland.
Eyewitnesses spoke of the worst flooding they had ever experienced.
Some parts of the airport in the metropolis with 1.6 million inhabitants were also under water.
The residents of New Zealand's largest city are still struggling with the consequences - and are now being hit again by severe storms.
(ph/dpa/afp)
List of rubrics: © Diego Opatowski/AFP