WORLD NEWS | New Zealand cities shut down as cyclone looms

WELLINGTON, Feb. 13 (AP) Aucklanders braced for flooding from Cyclone Gabriel on Monday, two weeks after a record-breaking storm tore through New Zealand’s largest city and killed four people.

Much of Auckland came to a standstill as train services were cancelled, libraries and most schools closed and authorities asked people to only make essential travel.

Read also | Cyclone Gabriel brings strong winds and heavy rain to New Zealand’s North Island (watch video).

Air New Zealand has canceled all domestic flights to and from Auckland as of midday on Tuesday, as well as many international flights. Some international routes will continue to operate, but may need to be diverted from Auckland.

The airline has also canceled domestic flights to and from the cities of Hamilton, Tauranga and Taupo.

Read also | China keeps quiet on U.S. after shooting down Chinese spy balloon: report.

Located in the northeastern part of the country and moving south, the cyclone dropped more than 220 millimeters (9 inches) of rain in areas north of Oakland, knocking out power to some 58,000 homes and forcing the closure of many roads.

Authorities declared a state of emergency for the Northland region, Auckland and some other areas.

Gabrielle is expected to pass through Auckland on Monday night. Its wind speed also decreased as the gust weakened to about 130 kilometers per hour (80 mph).

Forecasters MetService said there was a high chance of “extreme, high-impact and unprecedented weather” in many areas, including heavy rain, strong winds and high waves.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and some other lawmakers were unable to travel from Auckland to the capital, Wellington, so they are likely to miss this year’s opening of parliament on Tuesday.

“Please take this seriously, we expect severe weather to come,” Hipkins told reporters on Sunday. “So make sure you’re prepared. If you have to stay put for a while, or if you have to evacuate, make sure you’re prepared.”

Earlier, the cyclone passed near remote Norfolk Island, an Australian territory home to about 1,750 people.

Emergency Management Norfolk Island Comptroller George Plant said on Sunday an alert had been issued. He said there was some debris on the road and some wires were broken.

“We’re very lucky as the most damaging winds have just passed us and the hurricane has passed,” Plante wrote on Facebook on Sunday. “However, there is still a lot of cleanup to be done and services like power restored. It might take a while.”

Aucklanders experienced the city’s wettest day on record two weeks ago as the amount of rain that would normally fall throughout the summer fell in a single day.

Rapidly rising floodwaters and landslides killed four people, caused widespread damage and made hundreds of homes uninhabitable. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)