A state of emergency has been declared in the country’s five northern regions.
Thousands homes are without power in New Zealand after a tropical storm hit the northern part of the country.
Although the storm has weakened from its previous cyclone strength, the strong winds and rain it brings are still very dangerous. The storm has brought down trees, damaged roads and broken power lines.
A state of emergency has been declared in the country’s five northern regions.
About 58,000 people on the country’s North Island are without electricity. The authorities have warned that it may take days to restore the power grid.
“So as long as the weather continues to be as severe as it is now, it will actually be dangerous to work on the power grid,” Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty comment.
McAnulty says the government is considering declaring a national emergency for the third time in the country’s history.
“But we don’t necessarily have to (do that),” he added.
The storm has affected flights, trains and buses. Air New Zealand says it has canceled more than 500 flights so far and the situation has affected the flights of more than 10,000 international customers. The company expects the situation to return to normal on Tuesday.
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