NEW Zealand emergency officials have ordered about 100 people to evacuate in the tourist hub of Queenstown after heavy rain triggered floods across the South Island, officials said today.

A cloudburst overnight dumped a month’s worth of rain on Queenstown in its wettest 24-period for more than two decades, meteorologists said.

Flooding and debris washed through parts of central Queenstown as some residents had to flee their homes, officials said. Several schools were closed.

The wet weather led to the declaration of a seven-day state of emergency in Queenstown, as well as the Southland district covering the bottom tip of New Zealand’s South Island.

Widespread flooding also damaged roads across the region. There were no reports of casualties. – AFP, September 22, 2023.