New Zealand was preparing for further heavy rainfall on Saturday, Feb 14, after flooding swept through a regional town, cutting electricity, damaging roads, and forcing residents from their homes. Authorities also discovered the body of a man inside a vehicle submerged on a highway. According to MetService, the storm system was expected to strengthen, bringing intense rain, winds reaching up to 120 km per hour, and waves as high as seven metres. The severe weather was forecast to impact the capital, Wellington, along with other areas starting Sunday.

Following heavy overnight rainfall in the Otorohanga District—a farming community of around 10,000 people located about 180 km south of Auckland—officials declared a state of emergency. A severe weather alert was also issued for the eastern coast of the North Island, stretching from the Coromandel Peninsula to the Bay of Plenty.

Calling the situation heartbreaking, Otorohanga District Mayor Rodney Dow expressed condolences over the apparent death of the man found in his car. Authorities did not release the victim’s identity. Dow said the priority was to assist affected residents, as well as emergency personnel and support teams responding to the crisis.

Rain began falling in Otorohanga around 2 p.m. Friday and intensified throughout the evening, with up to 300 mm recorded in roughly an hour. The town’s flood prevention pumping system struggled to cope with the extreme rainfall. Dow described the event as a sudden and powerful “weather bomb.”

By Saturday, about 80 residents had been evacuated, and an emergency shelter was established at a local church. Officials started evaluating what Dow described as widespread damage. Those who remained in their homes were urged to avoid contact with floodwaters. Photos shared online showed large semi-rural areas underwater, damaged road sections where waters had receded, and a vehicle bridge littered with trees and debris left behind by the flooding.