Additional evacuations in New Zealand’s South Island due to rain and flooding

Wellington 19 August : Over 400 houses in Nelson of New Zealands South Island were evacuated on Friday following a week of heavy rain.

flooding and landslides hit the regionLocal states of emergency remain in places for West Coast and Nelson-Tasman regions due to the severe weather conditions according to the National Emergency Management Agency.

The agency stated in an announcement that the extreme weather has caused flooding that has forced evacuations with additional impacts likely.Many hundreds of locals were unable to return home for another night because of the prolonged heavy rain, flooding and strong winds this week in Nelson, due to the Maitai River, which runs through Nelson, has burst its banks according to Xinhua news agency.

Civil Defence teams are helping people in streets that are flooded.A huge atmospheric flow of warm humid air from the tropical regions continues to bring massive quantities of rain to areas of New Zealand on Friday and into the weekend.

Red warnings for heavy rain are being updated for Nelson, Buller, and Westland in the South Island, which are reserved for the most extreme weather conditions according to MetService New Zealands official national weather authority.The state highway that connects to Nelson has been shut down because of flooding and slips.

The government has made the first contribution of $200,000 ($124,794) to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Nelson-Tasman.New Zealand has experienced one of the most wet winters due to the more extreme weather, with numerous places exceeding their rainfall records or experiencing an average amount of rainfall.