By: AP |
Published: February 5, 2020 2:38:28 pm
Sandbags are piled as a road is flooded in Gore, New Zealand due to flash flooding. (AP)
Hundreds of people evacuated their homes and farms Wednesday to escape flooding in southern New Zealand.
Authorities told many residents in the towns of Gore, Mataura and Wyndham they should leave immediately as rivers continued to rise following heavy rainfall.
Several hundred tourists were being evacuated from Milford Sound after getting stuck there earlier this week when flooding and mudslides cut off car access. Many of the tourists were evacuated by helicopter.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency in the South land region.
Weather conditions were improving Wednesday. Some rainfall is forecast over the coming days, but not the heavy rain that has caused the flooding.