[ad_1]
Record rains and floods have plunged the New Zealand town of Napier into a state of emergency.
The North Island city, famous for its art deco architecture, had 242.4 mm of rain between 9 a.m. Monday and 9 a.m. Tuesday, the wettest day since 1963 and the second highest in history.
The total included 54 mm in an hour between 5 and 6 pm. Monday, the hour of heaviest rain in 25 years.
The downpour brought landslides and power outages, and left people trapped in cars.
Much of the city center was underwater Tuesday morning, including many businesses, with some resorting to kayaking on the streets.
According to local newspaper Hawke’s Bay Today, dozens of people were rescued from flooded homes and there were fears of contaminated sewage from the floods.
Concerns prompted the city council to urge that flushes from toilets, showers and dishwashing be minimized.
Radio NZ reported that more than 3,000 homes were without power overnight and residents had been panicking in supermarkets.
Unfortunately for the Hawke’s Bay area, another 50mm of heavy rain was forecast for Wednesday.
Emergency Management Minister Kiri Allan was traveling to Napier and said her thoughts were with the community as she prepared “to do a big cleanup.”
