An entire New Zealand town had to be evacuated after floodwaters surged through its streets in a “one-in-a-500-year event” in the wake of a weather system that was Cyclone Debbie. “Evacuations in Edgecumbe are largely complete following stop bank breaches,” the Bay of Plenty Regional Council said in a statement yesterday afternoon.
The 2,000 inhabitants of the township in the north-east of the North Island, were evacuated by jetboats, farm vehicles and a school bus,
Radio New Zealand reported. Mayor Tony Bonne told the national radio station the flooding was a “one-in-a-500-year event.”
“There’s water halfway up people’s windows. There are houses that will just be a huge write-off,” local Brandon Crowley, who captained one of the jetboats that helped the stranded, told news service Newshub. “There was a big community effort as far as the boats went.
We were working together as a team as much as we could, to do what we could,” he said. Since arriving in New Zealand on Tuesday, the weather system that was Cyclone Debbie has brought historic amounts of rain across much of the country.
The region around Edgecombe recorded more than two months’ worth of rain over a two-day period, the Metservice said in a statement.
“It’s the third-highest two-day total there since records began in 1974. Major flooding and slips have also occurred across the North Island and upper South Island.”
Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett told journalists in Wellington that she had spoken to Civil Defence. “They are saying they have got it under control but there is still a risk of loss of life.
“We understand these are people’s homes and they will be worried about that, but under no circumstances should people be looking at going back at the moment,” she said.
Flights in and out of the capital city Wellington recommenced yesterday morning after being suspended on Wednesday night. The weather system was now moving south, continuing to cause havoc.
The South Island town of Kaikoura, badly damaged in a magnitude-7.8 earthquake in November, has already been cut off after rain caused mudslides that blocked a highway, the national Transport Agency said.
 However, the country’s meteorological service reported that the worst of the rain was over. “After several grim days for New Zealand, there is hope on the horizon for the upcoming weekend. High pressure should bring mild temperatures and dry conditions for most of the country,” the Metservice said.