New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, has been hit by major floods resulting in two deaths, two people missing, the temporary closure of its international airport and countless homes being engulfed by rising waters.
On Friday, it was confirmed the Auckland had experienced its wettest 24-hour period on record with another 23mm of rain expected on Saturday per 9News.
Across social media, footage shows the staggering effects that water levels are having on the city of 1.6 million residents.
One TikTok showed Auckland Airport’s check-in area inundated with murky water as rain continued to fall outside.
The nation’s new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said at least 2,000 people became stranded there.
https://www.tiktok.com/@softersundays/video/7193379850835528962?_t=8ZOKcoUBt1V&_r=1
“Auckland Airport terminals and roading (sic) are currently impacted by widespread flooding,” the airport said on Twitter via ABC.
“We are requesting people do not travel to the international terminal at this time.”
Food supplies have also been affected with supermarkets and grocers copping a barrage of rain.
@cadier0se
One of the more bizarre flood clips showed a public bus floating down the street.
It had been viewed by 1.2 million people at the time of writing.
@d.mack0 Helped tow and jump start a few cars here today, some crazy scenes in Auckland 🙏 #auckland #flooding #staysafe
In French Bay in the city’s west, grim TikTok footage showed entire houses collapsed, busses flooded and cars submerged in suburban neighbourhoods.
@alisimartini Saw a house fall onto the road while at a wedding last night. My partner could have gotten hit but he stopped to talk to his friend on the way back from moving our car from flooding 🤯😭 #thisisclimatechange #climatechange #aucklandflooding #frenchbaynz #frenchbay #auckland
https://www.tiktok.com/@shhhh.275/video/7193204263571574017?_t=8ZOL7AiKQlO&_r=1
@t.ha.i this is exactly how I expected to spend the bfs birthday :))))))) #fyp #auckland #flood
Perhaps the most haunting clip of the bunch was a video shot by Dominique Donaghy in the driver’s seat of her car.
In it, she explains that she’s essentially trapped there since all the roads back to her home are either closed or have been flooded.
https://www.tiktok.com/@domidonaghy/video/7193203456214076674?_t=8ZOL8KYXNlh&_r=1
What makes this natural disaster even more haunting is that it happened during summer.
Professor James Renwick of Victoria University in Wellington wrote that the floods are “a sign of things to come” and that Auckland is in dire need of “stormwater systems fit for climate change” per The Conversation.
The floods also mark the first big test for new PM Chris Hipkins who was voted NZ Labour leader and therefore, prime minister after Jacinda Ardern announced her retirement in mid-January.
