Storm shuts down NZ capital
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- A severe storm has been battering much of New Zealand, leaving the capital Wellington all but cut off.
Wind gusts of more than 100 mph (160 km/h) tore roofs from buildings and downed trees and electric lines across the lower North Island, blocking highways and railroads, and halting plane and sea ferry services.
The southerly gales were so strong they tore off part of the roof from Wellington's main airport terminal building, blowing debris across the closed runway, the Associated Press reported.
Ferries between the North and South Island were halted after 9-meter (30-foot) swells in the Cook Strait, according to local news reports.
Dangerously big seas closed many roads along Wellington's south coast while many others were flooded after heavy rain, the Wellington city council said on its Website, noting that "damage and disruption around the city and region is significant."
"The city has taken a right old battering," city council infrastructure manager Stavros Michael said.
As snow and debris blocked roads across the south of the North Island, authorities urged central New Zealanders to avoid all unnecessary travel, and workers stayed away from work.
"There's no trains, no planes, no ferries," said Maia Bray, who lives just north of Wellington.
The storm brought heavy rains to other regions. A farming area north of the capital was placed on flood alert after eight inches fell, swelling four rivers.
New Zealand's MetService said on its Website Wednesday that conditions are expected to ease during the day, but gusts of up to 140 km/h are still seen whipping the Wellington area and the Marlborough Sounds.
Wellington sits at the bottom of the North Island. It is often exposed to stormy weather when southerly winds whip up from Antarctica, funnel through the Cook Strait and blast the capital's 300,000 residents.
