Auckland is currently being ravaged by excessive flooding brought about by the continuous downpour of heavy rains. The weather authorities of NZ also said that the country’s largest city is expected to experience more heavy rains in the days ahead. Prior to this, insurance companies now take their time in counting and calculating the costs of damages brought by this calamity which is also considered as the costliest weather disturbance in the country.
Because of the non-stop downpour of rain, landslides and flash floods occurred in many parts of the city, claiming a total of four lives in the process. Auckland is now currently in a state of emergency. On the lighter side, the state emergency in the region of Waitomo was already lifted.
In the field of air transport, many flights have been cancelled and delayed because of the weather disturbance. As of the moment, New Zealand’s flag carrier airline said that thousands of passengers, both coming in and going out of the country are stranded on Monday.
With a population of 1.6 million, Auckland has closed its beaches. All schools in the city have also been closed and will remain shut until the 7th of February.
New Zealand’s Metservice forecasts continuous downpour of heavy and torrential rains in many parts of the city. Rachel Kelleher, duty controller of Auckland’s Emergency Management said that there are more adverse weather conditions that are expected to come and everybody needs to prepare for such adversities.
On the night of Monday, the Fire & Emergency services of the city received thirty callouts and these also included the need to respond to a landslide that took place when a carport had slid and eroded down a hill.
The city council decided that sixty-nine houses were tagged “inhabitable,” thereby preventing people from getting inside them. In addition to these houses, over three hundred properties were declared at risk, restricting dwellers to particular areas until everything is cleared. NZ’S North Island currently experiences more rain, pointing out La Nina as the main culprit.
Christian Judge, New Zealand’s Insurance Council spokesperson said that the country is expected to spend around NZ$97 million for clean-up costs. The NZ’s divisions of Insurance Australia Group have already received more than five thousand claims; the Suncorp Group received three thousand claims; and NZ Tower received less than two thousand claims.
The number of the aforementioned claims is expected to increase in the succeeding days.
