Auckland floods: Teen missing in flooded cave as heavy rains cause emergency in New Zealand
Auckland is under emergency after heavy rainfall A thunderstorm causes a flood, landslidedisrupted rail service and caused a boy to go missing in a flooded cave.
A state of emergency was declared on Tuesday after torrential rains new zealandThe largest city in the city was submerged overnight, flooding its roads and flooding its basements.
Oakland Deputy Mayor Deslie Simpson told reporters disaster response services were being mobilized.
New Zealand Police Superintendent Tony Hill told local media that a teenager was missing in a flooded cave north of the city.
The student was part of a group of 15 high school students who were visiting a monastery cave near Whangarei.
The group and two adults were rescued, but the search continues for the missing teen. A police rescue team suspended operations for the day after hours of searching, but the team remains at the scene until it resumes at first light on Wednesday.
“Our thoughts are with the friends and family of the missing student,” Hill said in a statement. “The school is also supported by the Ministry of Education’s trauma case team.”
Fire and ambulance services responded to more than 200 calls from panicked residents as floodwaters entered buildings, officials said. Many calls were related to fallen trees, trapped cars and landslides.
Some train and bus services have also been canceled, with authorities urging people to avoid non-essential travel.
According to the country’s meteorological department, the Auckland area already receives 90% of the average annual total rainfall from January to April.
“The area is very saturated after five very rough months. It’s quite soggy,” said Meteorological New Zealand’s Georgina Griffiths.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was a difficult time for the region.
“We will get through this. We will support Auckland through it,” he told reporters.
“We know it’s hard to deal with everything else they’ve been dealing with, but my request to people right now is to keep themselves safe.
Current events are coming just months after Oakland experienced flood in januarytook the lives of four people Cyclone Gabriel Hit in February, extensive damage At least 11 people were killed in the outbreak across much of the North Island.
Heavy rains are expected to continue intermittently until midnight, but officials hope the most severe downpours have already passed.
Various scientific studies point to the climate crisis increasing New Zealand’s annual rainfall and days of extreme rainfall.
research done by World weather attribution (WWA) Discovered in April Global warming causes more precipitation Country after Cyclone Gabriel landed.
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/auckland-flood-state-of-emergency-new-zealand-b2335409.html Auckland floods: Teen missing in flooded cave as heavy rains cause emergency in New Zealand