Ferocious Winds Hit New Zealand, State of Emergency Declared
(MENAFN) Parts of New Zealand’s North and South Islands were slammed by destructive winds on Thursday, triggering widespread outages, transport shutdowns, and a local state of emergency in Canterbury after rare Red Warnings were issued.
The national weather service, MetService, confirmed that the highest-level Red Warnings were activated early Wednesday for Canterbury and Wellington.
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said the latest event surpassed earlier storms in both strength and reach. "Thursday had a similar but stronger flavor. While some areas escaped the impacts earlier, these winds were more widespread and affected places that don't often see strong winds," Makgabutlane said.
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell declared a state of local emergency for Canterbury on Wednesday afternoon to coordinate the response to the escalating conditions.
Authorities urged residents in flood-prone parts of Canterbury to prepare for possible evacuations as rivers swelled. Tens of thousands of homes lost power, and utility companies cautioned that full restoration could take several days.
Severe flooding left major roads and highways impassable, isolating parts of the West Coast. Officials advised people to stay indoors, secure outdoor property, and avoid non-essential travel.
Flights to and from Wellington were canceled throughout the day, while multiple major routes were shut down due to debris and flooding.
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