Christchurch and two other districts on New Zealand's South Island have declared a state of emergency as former cyclone Gita hit the country.
Dozens of schools have been shut and roads closed on the South Island as the storm made landfall on Tuesday. New Zealand's national airline has cancelled all flights in and out of the capital, Wellington, on North Island.
Residents were told to expect floods and winds of up to 150km/h (90mph). The Grey District and Buller Districts on South Island have now also declared a state of emergency.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that troops had been sent out to areas that were likely to be hardest hit by the storm. She added that the national Civil Defence office in Wellington was also on standby.
Gita last week left a trail of destruction in the Pacific island nations of Tonga and Fiji. Tonga, in particular, is reeling from the storm, which injured people and destroyed buildings including the parliament.
Source : BBC News
Leave your comments
Login to post a comment
Post comment as a guest