© NASA Terra/MODISEx-cyclone Debbie over Tasman Sea affecting New Zealand on April 4, 2017.
Floods and landslips blocked roads and closed schools across New Zealand's north island on Wednesday after it was swept overnight by the tail-end of powerful Cyclone Debbie, which left a trail of destruction in Australia.
In Auckland, the north island's biggest city, a cliff collapsed on to an apartment block and more than 1000 homes were without power. A state of emergency was declared in two other districts - Whanganui and Rangitikei - as river levels rose amid record rainfall.
No fatalities have been reported but police were investigating reports a person was missing on the Waikato River on Wednesday afternoon.
Floods forced the closure of several country roads and highways throughout the north island, including Auckland. Schools remained closed on Wednesday in Whanganui and Rangitikei, and in Clevedon and Brookby in rural Auckland. Some train and ferry services were replaced by buses due to landslides and flooding.
Comment: In Australia, more than 60 locations in Queensland affected by Cyclone Debbie received the highest amounts of March rainfall ever recorded, in many cases breaking records that had stood for more than 50 years.
Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Dr Jeff Sabburg
said the extraordinary rainfall figures could largely be attributed to the low pressure system left over from the cyclone. "What was exceptional in causing the records was the amount of moisture in the air associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie," he said.
Damage from cyclonic winds and flooding has affected thousands of properties across Queensland, with more than 750 homes deemed uninhabitable. Electricity has been restored to about 45,000 people blacked out by Cyclone Debbie but by yesterday morning almost 20,000 homes were still without power.
Comment: Lightning strikes also killed another 3 people elsewhere in India.