Auckland flooding

The nation's weather forecaster said while heavy rain had eased, another period of downpours was possible on Sunday. Two men were found dead amid the flooding, ...

A search was under way for another man believed swept away. "We're not out of this yet. Another person was unaccounted for after a landslide hit a house in an inner suburb of Auckland, police said. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story "Auckland was clobbered on Friday – Auckland's wettest day on record – and today we start the clean-up," the agency's duty controller Andrew Clark said in a statement, urging caution for residents returning home to survey flood damage. A state of emergency remained in place in the city of around 1.6 million people on New Zealand's north island as the rains eased after causing flooding in the north, northwest and west.

More than 10 inches of rain triggered severe flooding in Auckland that forced evacuations, blocked roads, closed airports and washed away a bridge.

The torrential rains come during what is typically a dry stretch of the year on much of New Zealand’s North Island, home to its most populous and developed areas, with about 1.7 million residents in the Auckland region. More than 10.3 inches of rainfall was observed within 18 hours in Albany, a northern suburb. [according to a government report](https://environment.govt.nz/assets/Publications/Files/Climate-change-projections-2nd-edition-final.pdf) based on data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. [according to the MetService](https://www.metservice.com/towns-cities/locations/auckland/past-weather), while fall and winter are typically wetter; average July rainfall there is about 5.3 inches. [washed away a bridge](https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/01/27/video-bridge-washed-away-by-raging-auckland-floodwaters/). [said on Twitter](https://twitter.com/RMarchNZ/status/1618879253340372993).

Emergency services facing huge number of callouts as wild weather sparks landslides and forces closure of country's largest airport.

Police said they were “continuing to respond to a high number of calls to weather-related incidents”. The flooding also swept a man away in a community south of Auckland, and another person is unaccounted for after a landslide brought down a house in the city centre. The bodies of two men were found in flood waters in separate incidents in a northern suburb, police said.

The message to Aucklanders is to "stay home, stay safe", and be prepared to evacuate if you're in a flooded zone.

They called on motorists to stay off the roads unless travel was essential. On Saturday McAnulty said there were dozens of people using the Civil Defence Centres and he expected that more would arrive. Hurihanganui said travellers should stay updated as the situation was changing as more information was available. Their safety and the safety of communities is of utmost importance at all times," Vector said. A state of emergency was called for the Auckland region at 9.30pm on Friday and will remain in place for seven days. A helicopter was being sent to survey the extent of damage on Kawau Island. They suggested calling the City Mission to see where help or goods were needed. But damage to a water pipe in a landslide meant people in Titirangi, Woodlands Park, Oratia, Green Bay, Waima and elevated sections of Scenic Drive could have no water or low water pressure for at least the next 48 hours. It was full of stretcher beds, showers were available, children were playing with toys, there were lots of volunteers and charities had provided food. People should stay clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times, the power company said. Brown said those responding to requests for help were focused on welfare calls, and would address infrastructure problems as a second priority when that is possible. Many local roads and highways are unpassable or closed due to flooding and slips, and serious flooding has affected Auckland Airport.

Friday was Auckland's wettest day on record, with heavy rain triggering a state of emergency in the city of about 1.6 million people.

A search was underway for another man believed swept away. "We're not out of this yet. Advertisement

A third death related to the flooding around Auckland has been confirmed this afternoon. Police have confirmed that Fire and Emergency workers at a Shore Rd ...

Two other deaths have been linked to the flooding - one body was found in a flooded culvert in Wairau Valley on the North Shore last night and another man was found in a nearby carpark this morning. The cancellation of the music festival - which included artists like Haim and Phoebe Bridgers - follows the cancellation of both of Elton John's Auckland shows this weekend. A third death related to the flooding around Auckland has been confirmed this afternoon.

A state of emergency has been declared in New Zealand's biggest city as torrential rains caused widespread flooding and evacuations, closing the city's ...

"Given the weather, tonight's show has been cancelled. Police said they were "continuing to respond to a high number of calls to weather-related incidents". The bodies of two men were found in floodwaters in two separate incidents in a northern suburb, police said.

The more the climate warms, the heavier the storm rainfalls will become. The Auckland emergency shows how urgently adaptive measures are now needed.

These are the responses we need to be thinking about and taking action on now. The country’s stormwater drain system was designed for the climate we used to have – 50 or more years ago. The globe and New Zealand have experienced a bit over a degree of warming in the past century, and we have measured the increasing water vapour content. But, as the climate continues to warm, the amount of water vapour in the air increases. Air is sucked in at ground level, lofted up and cooled quickly, losing much of its moisture in the process. How much climate change contributed to the rainfall total will be part of those calculations. So all that moister air is brought together, then “wrung out” to deliver the rain. Given what we have already seen, how do we adapt? These delivered the heaviest rain falls, with MetService figures showing Auckland Airport received its average monthly rain for January in less than hour. [NIWA](https://environment.govt.nz/publications/climate-change-projections-for-new-zealand/)) [estimates](https://environment.govt.nz/publications/climate-change-projections-for-new-zealand/) that over Auckland, one degree of warming translates to abount a 20% increase in the one-hour rainfall, for a one-in-50-year event. Damage to houses, cars, roads and infrastructure will run into many millions of dollars. But usually they’re from North America or Asia, or maybe Europe.

A flooded street and store in Auckland, New Zealand. Torrential rains brought flooding and evacuations, shutting airports and forcing organisers to cancel a ...

"Given the weather, tonight's show has been cancelled. Police said they were "continuing to respond to a high number of calls to weather-related incidents". The bodies of two men were found in floodwaters in two separate incidents in a northern suburb, police said.

New Zealand's biggest airport delayed the reopening of its international terminal Saturday because “critical components” of the infrastructure were damaged ...

local time Sunday and arrivals will be delayed until 7 a.m. While local services have resumed, no international departures are likely to take place before 5 a.m. New Zealand’s biggest airport delayed the reopening of its international terminal Saturday because “critical components” of the infrastructure were damaged by severe flooding after a

Emergency workers and a man wade through floodwaters in Auckland, New Zealand, Jan. 27, 2023. Torrential rain and wild weather in Auckland caused disruptions ...

A search was under way for another man believed swept away. "We're not out of this yet. Auckland Emergency Management, part of the city's council, said daylight had revealed the first "true understanding" of the impact of the storm, caused by warm air descending from the tropics that sparked heavy rain and thunderstorms.

A torrential downpour in New Zealand's largest city prompts evacuations, power cuts and other chaos.

Heavy rains were forecast in various parts of the city for at least the next five days. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), the country's climate science body, said Friday was the wettest day on record for a number of locations in Auckland. Ricardo Menendez March, a Green MP and Auckland resident, told the BBC that the area he lived in was quickly flooded and he had to evacuate, but was given shelter by a friend nearby.

Three people have died and one is missing after raging floodwaters and slips caused by an unprecedented deluge of rain across Auckland - easily the city's ...

A state of emergency remains in place across the region. About 12.30am, Police were called to a flooded car park on Link Dr, also in Wairau Valley, after a report of another man was found dead. On Friday evening about 7.30pm a man was found dead in a flooded culvert in Wairau Valley. In another clip he appears to drop his phone in the water. One of the three people who died, who the Herald has chosen not to name at this time, posted several live videos on Facebook during the flooding. A man who died in the Auckland flooding shared videos of himself walking through the floodwater offering assistance to residents.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says the devastation is "considerable", while New Zealand's national weather service warns of severe impacts, with more rain ...

Air New Zealand said its domestic flights in and out of Auckland had resumed, and international flights out of Auckland would resume on Sunday (local time). Fire and Emergency New Zealand said crews had responded to more than 700 incidents across the region and staff had taken more than 2,000 emergency calls. While heavy rain had eased, further downpours were possible on Sunday, the national weather forecaster said, adding the impact was "expected to be severe and wide reaching because of the saturated ground". They said fire and emergency crews found a third body after a landslide brought down a house in the suburb of Remuera. Daylight revealed the impact of the storm, caused by warm air descending from the tropics, sparking heavy rain and thunderstorms, said Auckland Emergency Management. He said the city was in for a big clean-up and that people should remain indoors if possible.

The more hard surfaces we build, the more stormwater we need to drain. Auckland must future-proof its urban design as climate change bites.

The stark reality is the flooding we experienced this week, and arguably the storm itself, are of our own making. Do we cross our fingers and hope the rain goes away? The irony is that the roads themselves are a significant contributor to the flooding. Within the sponge city concept is a way to mitigate flooding using “water sensitive urban design”. The sponge city concept, and ideas about letting nature handle stormwater, don’t have to be extravagant or expensive. The concept incorporates green roofs, rain gardens and permeable pavements to absorb and filter water. From the gutters, the water drains into a stormwater catch basin, through the stormwater network, and into streams and the sea. With age, the system’s capacity to capture stormwater significantly declines. We’ve built our cities to be vulnerable to – and exacerbate – major weather events such as the one we saw in Auckland on Friday. Every new building or road replaces the planet’s natural stormwater system: plants and soil, and channels for runoff. Add an abnormal amount of rainfall, and neighbourhood flooding is nearly guaranteed. Herein lies the problem.

Police said in a statement that they extend sympathies to his family and friends. His death has been referred to the Coroner. Miller had earlier filmed himself ...

A person was found dead at the property on Saturday morning. On Friday evening about 7.30pm Miller was found dead in a flooded culvert in Wairau Valley. About 12.30am, Police were called to a flooded car park on Link Drive, also in Wairau Valley, after a report another man was found dead. A report was received about 10.15pm that a man had been swept away by floodwaters in Onewhero. Daniel Mark Miller, 34, of Wairau Valley was found dead in a culvert on Target Rd on Friday evening. In another clip he appears to drop his phone in the water.

Four people have been killed as authorities warn severe weather conditions will continue in New Zealand's north island.

On Saturday, prime minister Chris Hipkins, less than a week in office, flew by helicopter over Auckland before touring flood-hit homes. Battered by rain since Friday, Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city of 1.6 million people, remained under a state of emergency on Sunday. Climate change is causing episodes of heavy rainfall to become more common and more intense in New Zealand, though the impact varies by region.