Residents Evacuated as Massive Waves and Storm Batter Wellington

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Wellington : Hundreds of residents were ordered to leave their homes and move to higher ground as huge waves and powerful winds lashed New Zealand's capital on Tuesday, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in several coastal suburbs.

The evacuation order affected residents in Owhiro Bay, Island Bay, Houghton Bay and Breaker Bay after forecasters warned of dangerous swells along Wellington's southern coastline. Officials urged people to stay away from the area, warning that emergency services would be unable to assist anyone who ignored evacuation instructions.

Police enforced the evacuation order from Tuesday morning, setting up roadblocks and cordons to stop people from approaching the coast while residents were directed to safer locations inland.

The severe weather brought waves of up to 11 metres into Wellington Harbour, significantly larger than those seen during a damaging coastal storm in 2021, when waves reached about 6.5 metres and affected numerous homes in Breaker Bay.

Strong winds added to the disruption across the city. In Island Bay, powerful gusts and surging seawater swept across coastal roads, knocking pedestrians off their feet. Wind speeds at Wellington Airport reached up to 128 kilometres per hour, forcing the cancellation of several flights.

The extreme conditions also caused damage at the airport, where an unattended aircraft belonging to local carrier Golden Bay Air was blown onto its side while parked. The airline said firefighters later secured the aircraft to prevent further movement.

Authorities continued to monitor conditions closely as dangerous seas and strong winds persisted around the capital.

Pic Credit: AFP