Videos of the Auckland airport show severe flooding, which has caused the service to shut down amid the torrential rain.

The mayor of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, has declared a state of emergency after torrential rain caused widespread flooding and evacuations. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown made the announcement on Friday night as mass evacuations occurred across the city. He stated that the declaration reflects the extent of damage, displacement and disruption caused by the severe weather event and enables emergency services and response agencies to draw on resources, and enact additional powers, to assist affected Aucklanders.

Brown also confirmed that a body had been found at Wairau Valley in the city’s north, but police are yet to confirm if the death was flood-related.

Flights into Auckland have been delayed or cancelled due to the wild weather, while footage obtained by ABC shows areas of the city’s airport terminal completely flooded. Auckland Airport said on Twitter that runway operations had been reduced after a runway lighting was damaged by a landing aircraft.

Auckland Emergency Management said that northern, north-western and western parts of the city were affected by significant flooding, with conditions expected to worsen. The agency advised residents in flood-prone areas to prepare to evacuate. Videos on social media showed firefighters, police, and defence force staff rescuing stranded people from flooded homes using ropes and rescue boats. One video, shot on a busway, showed a packed bus ploughing through water so high that it entered the vehicle and sloshed around passenger’s feet.

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Major roads were also blocked off by the floods, causing long traffic queues on highways. Musician Elton John’s concert in the city, which was expected to be attended by about 40,000 people, was cancelled. Auckland Transport said in a statement that operations team is working to redirect special event buses to help get people back home as soon as possible.

“Given the weather, tonight’s show has been cancelled. Our operations team is working to redirect special event buses to help get people back home … as soon as possible,” Auckland Transport said in a statement.

The severe weather event has caused widespread damage, displacement, and disruption in the city of Auckland. One body has been found in the Wairau Valley although it has yet to be confirmed if the person died due to the flood or other causes.

The writer used AI tools to publish part of this article. The Brag Media relies on journalists to fact check & edit all articles regardless of any AI tools used.

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