(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) Flood-ravaged Auckland is forecast to receive further heavy rain
in the coming days, authorities in New Zealand's largest city said
on Monday, as insurers counted the costs of what looks likely to be
the country's most expensive weather event ever, trend reports citing reuters .
Four people lost their lives in flash floods and landslides that
hit Auckland over the last three days amid record downpours. A
state of emergency remains in place in Auckland and further south
in regional Waitomo.
Flights in and out of Auckland Airport are still experiencing
delays and cancellations, while beaches around the city of 1.6
million are closed.
'There has been very significant damage across Auckland,' New
Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told state-owned television
station TVNZ on Monday. 'Obviously there were a number of homes
damaged by flooding but also extensive earth movements.'
Currently, around 350 people were in need of emergency
accommodation, he added.
Metservice is forecasting further heavy rains to hit the already
sodden city late on Tuesday.
'We have more adverse weather coming and we need to prepare for
that,' Auckland Emergency Management duty controller Rachel
Kelleher told a media conference.
Fire and Emergency services received 30 callouts overnight
Monday, including responding to a landslide when a carport slid
down a hill.
The council has designated 40 houses as uninhabitable and has
prevented people from entering them. A further 151 properties were
deemed at risk, with access restricted to certain areas for short
periods.
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