
After Fatal Flash Floods , cleanup in Auckland New Zealand, begins Authorities in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, began mopping up on Saturday after torrential rains caused flash flooding and evacuations, with at least two persons reported dead and two missing in the extensive flooding. The city of 1.6 million people on New Zealand's north island remained under a state of emergency as rains lessened following Friday's flooding in the north, northwest, and west. After viewing flood-affected homes, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who had just been in office for a week, took a helicopter ride over the city. According to the New Zealand Herald, there had been more than 2,000 pleas for help and 70 evacuations in and around the city. The Auckland Airport recorded 249 mm (9.8 inches) of rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to 9 a.m. on Saturday, breaking the previous record of 161.8 mm set in 1985.Auckland Airport, which had ceased all domestic and international operations on...