WELLINGTON: Severe flooding forced thousands of residents in New Zealand’s South Island to flee their homes and left hundreds of tourists stranded at the remote Milford Sound beauty spot. The Southland region declared a state of emergency after being deluged with more than 1,000 mm of rainfall in 60 hours, triggering landslides on major roads and causing rivers to burst their banks. “We have issued notices to evacuate and to prepare to evacuate to 6,000 people across the region,” an Emergency Management Southland (EMS) spokeswoman told AFP. Power to affected areas was cut off as a precaution and evacuation centres were set up in local churches and schools. Floodwaters washed away sections of the only road to Milford Sound, a popular hiking spot for international tourists, and EMS said almost 200 people were being airlifted to nearby Te Anau.

Source: New Strait Times February 05, 2020 00:00 UTC