New Zealand braces for Cyclone Vaianu, flooding possible for Auckland
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New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon warned the cyclone had the potential to be damaging and urged those in its path to prepare for impact.
PHOTO: AFP
WELLINGTON - Cyclone Vaianu, approaching New Zealand, could cause flooding in its most populous city Auckland, the nation’s weather forecaster warned on April 11, as authorities issued evacuation orders for parts of the country’s North Island.
Vaianu, forecast to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 130kmh, was expected to hit on April 12, then pass west of the remote Chatham Islands on April 13, the country’s weather forecaster said.
It warned that Auckland, a city of 1.7 million people, could expect up to 110 mm of rain from late on April 11 to the afternoon of April 12, with “heavy swells and coastal inundation likely”.
“Streams and rivers may rise rapidly,” it added.
Several North Island regions were under emergency declarations on April 11, with authorities ordering evacuations in some parts of Whakatane, population 37,150, about 430km north of the capital, Wellington.
“Residents should plan to be away for at least two days,” the Whakatane District Council posted on Facebook. On coastal areas, the storm could cause landslides, storm surges, waves of up to 13m and coastal flooding, it said.
About 180km south, in the Hawke’s Bay region, authorities said they would start evacuating homes and public places in beachfront areas on the afternoon of April 11.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on April 10 the cyclone had the potential to be damaging and urged those in its path to prepare for impact.
“Make sure drains are free, check in on the neighbours, and be prepared for possible power cuts,” he said on X.
Vaianu has conjured up the painful memory of 2023’s Cyclone Gabrielle, which killed 11 and displaced thousands in New Zealand’s biggest natural disaster this century. REUTERS
