Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, has completely flooded after receiving more than 75% of its annual summer rainfall in just 15 hours.
The torrential rainfall on Friday Jan. 27 led to the worst floods in the city’s modern history and the wettest day ever recorded.
A state of emergency has been declared as bridges were washed away, houses were inundated and thousands of people were left without power.
At least four people have died and thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes.
Photos and videos on social media showed people wading through waist-deep flood waters as rain continued pouring down and items floating down flooded supermarket aisles.
Flights were delayed and canceled as Auckland Airport’s terminal and runway were also severely flooded.
200 passengers on a Qantas flight bound for Sydney were forced to spend the night in the plane after it became trapped on the runway and unable to be evacuated.
On Saturday, prime minister Chris Hipkins, less than a week in office, flew by helicopter over Auckland before touring flood-hit homes. He described the flood impact in the city as “unprecedented” in recent memory.
