Thousands of homes in New Zealand were left without power and flights were grounded on Monday as a tropical storm lashed the north of the country. Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty warned that it would be a “critical day” because of the “highly dangerous” combination of high winds and heavy rain. Although the storm has weakened from its previous cyclone status, it has already toppled trees, damaged roads and downed power lines.
A state of emergency has been declared in five northern regions, including Auckland. About 58,000 people on the North Island are without electricity, and officials say it could take days to restore the network. “As long as the weather continues to be as severe as it is, it’s actually unsafe” to work on the network, McAnulty said.
New Zealand’s largest city, home to 1.6 million people, is still recovering from flash floods last month that caused four deaths and forced thousands from their homes. Winds of up to 140 km/h (87 mph) battered the Northland region, while the Auckland Harbour Bridge was rocked by gusts of 110 km/h.
McAnulty noted that the government is considering declaring a national state of emergency—the third such declaration in the country’s history—but it may not be necessary. The severe weather also disrupted New Zealand’s travel network, affecting flights, trains and bus schedules. Air New Zealand reported that it had cancelled 509 flights so far, with normal services expected to resume on Tuesday. The airline said 10,000 international customers were affected, with 6,500 still needing to be rebooked.
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