At least three people have died and one is missing after New Zealand’s largest city experienced its “wettest day on record” on Friday.
Auckland is said to have received 75% of its usual summer rainfall in just 15 hours.
A local state of emergency was declared as authorities managed evacuations and widespread flooding.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins thanked emergency services for their swift response to the disaster.
The new prime minister travelled to Auckland, where he also expressed his condolences to the loved ones of those who died in the floods.
“The loss of life underscores the sheer scale of this weather event and how quickly it turned tragic”, he said in a news conference on Saturday afternoon.
The downpour flooded the airport, shifted houses and resulted in power cuts to homes for hours.
New Zealand’s defence forces were mobilised to assist with evacuations and emergency shelters were set up across the city.
Ricardo Menendez March, a Green MP and Auckland resident, told the BBC that the area he lived in was quickly flooded and he had to evacuate, but was given shelter by a friend nearby.
“There were people who were unfortunately not as lucky – low-income communities, disabled people, migrant communities as well,” he said.
Footage online showed people trapped in waist-deep floodwater and rescuers carrying out evacuations on kayaks. Other pictures showed grocery items floating down the aisles of several flooded supermarkets.
