Hundreds evacuated in NZ floods

[senorpepr]

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - One person is feared dead and hundreds have been evacuated after rain-swollen rivers flooded parts of New Zealand and dozens of small earthquakes contributed to mudslides, officials say.

Bad weather hit Australia where fierce winter storms dumped a blanket of snow over thousands of kilometres of farmland, disrupting electricity supplies.

In New Zealand's Bay of Plenty region on the east coast of North Island, civil defence authorities declared a state of emergency and evacuated 1,500 people in the past day after 250 mm (9 inches) of rain fell in 48 hours, sending rivers spilling over banks.

One woman was believed killed when her house was hit by a mudslide near the small town of Opotiki, about 260 km (160 miles) southeast of the country's largest city of Auckland. Rescuers have been unable to reach the area to confirm the death.

Rivers were still overflowing their banks in some places, forcing new evacuations and the emergency would remain in force for some days, said Whakatane District Council spokeswoman Diane Turner said.

"There are a large number who won't be going home for a while," Turner said on Monday of the evacuees. "This area still looks like a large swimming pool."

Levels of many rivers were starting to stabilise and the Meteorological Service lifted its heavy rain warning for the region and was forecasting dry weather.

However, power, water and telephone services were cut in many areas, with dozens of country roads blocked by landslides.

Exacerbating the risk of landslides, the region has been hit by a series of earthquakes measuring up to 5.4 on the Richter scale in the past 24 hours.

The Bay of Plenty, which includes the tourist centre of Rotorua, is known for its hot springs and is the site of several active volcanoes.

Australia's east coast was battered by an intense winter storm that whipped up huge waves and gales, sent temperatures plummeting and left a blanket of snow thousands of kilometres long covering drought-parched farmlands in two states on Monday.

Hundreds of homes were damaged and electricity supplies were disrupted in the states of Victoria and New South Wales.

"We seldom have snow to this extent and depth," an emergency services spokeswoman told reporters. Snow fell the length of the Great Dividing Range, which runs the length of eastern Australia and divides the coast from the country's farmlands.

The storm, which hit Australia over the weekend, saw 8 to 10 metre (24 to 30 feet) swells pound the east coast on Sunday, forcing the cancellation of some Sydney Harbour ferry services and dragging boats from their moorings.

On Monday, the dangerous surf warning was maintained as waves up to five metres (15 feet) high battered beaches and more snow fell.

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