Some residents in New Zealand’s capital urged to evacuate due to flood risk

Residents in low-lying areas of New Zealand's capital city Wellington were urged to evacuate on April 20, as heavy rain continued to drench the city, which experienced flash flooding overnight.



Mayor Andrew Little told state-owned Radio New Zealand that Wellington had received 77mm of rain in less than an hour, its heaviest rainfall on record.



The deluge caused flash flooding, road closures and landslides in the city's central business district and southern suburbs. Media reported that people had to escape flooded homes during the night and at least one landslide hit a home.



A number of streets in the city were evacuated and the fire and emergency service said they responded to 150 calls for assistance overnight.



A search was under way for a man living at a property that was flooded in the suburb of Karori, New Zealand police said in a statement.



The weather had cleared for a few hours earlier on April 20, allowing some of the floodwaters to dissipate, but further heavy rain is now hitting the city. Weather forecaster MetService is warning that rains could worsen later on April 20.