Schools and daycare centers in Auckland will remain closed until next Tuesday amid fears that flash floods, which have already killed four people, could worsen.
Many students in New Zealand’s largest city were due to return to school this week after the end of summer break. Instead, they were told to stay at home, with forecasters predicting further heavy rains.
A local state of emergency was declared in Auckland on Friday after a record-breaking flood that flooded the city with all of January’s average rainfall in less than an hour.
Flooding continued to block roads in the Kaipara Flats area outside of Auckland.
FIONA GOODALL/GETTY IMAGES
The country’s climate authority, the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research, declared Friday the rainiest day on record at a number of locations, with 249mm of rain.
