Heavy rainfall has hit New Zealand's North Island for the third day straight causing landslides, flash floods and knocking out roads. A total of four people have died in the floods. The number was updated after a person missing was confirmed dead.

New Zealand: Four dead after torrential rains, PM Chris Hipkins to conduct survey of damages

A state of emergency was declared in three regions of New Zealand's South Island on Wednesday due to sudden flooding caused by incessant rains. Hundreds of families &nbsp;were forced to leave their homes on Thursday due to the situation. The Met department described the weather activity as an "atmospheric river" from the north, that has dumped more than 30 centimetres of rain on parts of the South Island. River banks have burst due to this extreme weather activity and has also felled trees, blocking major roads.

Around 233 homes were evacuated in Buller, on the west coast, and Nelson, where a state of emergency was declared after a month's worth of rain fell in just 15 hours.

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Video footage showed&nbsp;rivers flooded, with water gushing onto the roads. Nelson's main river, the Maitai, turned into a torrent and search and rescue teams were seen using rescue boats to check on flooded areas. The city's mayor Rachel Reese described the flash flooding as a "one-in-100-year event". She warned locals to treat all water as contaminated, because some sewers had broken.

Nelson resident Sam Lagrutta said the situation was "frightening" after police gave him just five minutes to leave his home. "I literally just grabbed a carry-on bag and filled it with my passport, wallet, and anything important I could find," he told the New Zealand Herald.

Expecting a similar deluge on Friday, 160 households along the South Island's west coast were also asked to evacuate.

"This is a chance to take a breath and set ourselves up for what comes next…don't get rid of those sandbags yet!" Buller Emergency Management posted on Facebook.

Buller has been hit by repeated flooding in the past few years. Mayor Jamie Cleine said frequent evacuations took a toll on a community bracing itself for more flooding.

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"It is extremely troubling for people financially and mentally. This is our reality until a long-term solution can be put in place," he was quoted as saying by the website Stuff.

Meanwhile, Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty was due to visit Nelson Thursday.

The North Island is also experiencing bad weather conditions. Three people were injured in a car accident in Northland after a tree fell on State Highway One.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A state of emergency was declared in three regions of New Zealand's South Island on Wednesday due to sudden flooding caused by incessant rains. Hundreds of families were forced to leave their homes on Thursday due to the situation.

A state of emergency was declared in three regions of New Zealand's South Island on Wednesday due to sudden flooding caused by incessant rains. Hundreds of families were forced to leave their homes on Thursday due to the situation. The Met department described the weather activity as an "atmospheric river" from the north, that has dumped more than 30 centimetres of rain on parts of the South Island. River banks have burst due to this extreme weather activity and has also felled trees, blocking major roads. Around 233 homes were evacuated in Buller, on the west coast, and Nelson, where a state of emergency was declared after a month's worth of rain fell in just 15 hours. Also Read | New Zealand hit by liquor and chicken nugget shortages in aftermath of pandemic Video footage showed rivers flooded, with water gushing onto the roads. Nelson's main river, the Maitai, turned into a torrent and search and rescue teams were seen using rescue boats to check on flooded areas. The city's mayor Rachel Reese described the flash flooding as a "one-in-100-year event". She warned locals to treat all water as contaminated, because some sewers had broken. Nelson resident Sam Lagrutta said the situation was "frightening" after police gave him just five minutes to leave his home. "I literally just grabbed a carry-on bag and filled it with my passport, wallet, and anything important I could find," he told the New Zealand Herald. Expecting a similar deluge on Friday, 160 households along the South Island's west coast were also asked to evacuate. "This is a chance to take a breath and set ourselves up for what comes next…don't get rid of those sandbags yet!" Buller Emergency Management posted on Facebook. Buller has been hit by repeated flooding in the past few years. Mayor Jamie Cleine said frequent evacuations took a toll on a community bracing itself for more flooding. Also Read | This New Zealand-based company allows employees to take unlimited leaves "It is extremely troubling for people financially and mentally. This is our reality until a long-term solution can be put in place," he was quoted as saying by the website Stuff. Meanwhile, Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty was due to visit Nelson Thursday. The North Island is also experiencing bad weather conditions. Three people were injured in a car accident in Northland after a tree fell on State Highway One. (With inputs from agencies)

Hundreds of families evacuated after floods hit New Zealand's South Island

Hundreds of people were evacuated overnight and many more face the risk of abandoning their homes in New Zealand's Canterbury region as heavy rains raised water levels and caused widespread flooding.

At least 300 homes in Canterbury were evacuated overnight as water levels rose in rivers across the region in a "one-in-100-year deluge", local media reports said on Monday.

Several highways, schools and offices were closed and New Zealand's Defence Forces deployed helicopters to rescue some people stranded in floods in the Ashburton area.

Ashburton's Mayor Neil Brown said "half of Ashburton" would need to be evacuated if the river's levees broke but there was "still quite a bit of capacity" in the river.

"We need it to stop raining to let those rivers drop," said Brown, according to the New Zealand Herald.

New Zealand's MetService had issued a red warning on Sunday for heavy rain for Canterbury and multiple warnings elsewhere.

The government announced NZ$100,000 ($72,500) towards a Mayoral Relief Fund to support Canterbury communities impacted by the flooding, Kris Faafoi, the acting minister for emergency management said in a statement.

"While it is still very early to know the full cost of the damage, we expect it to be significant and this initial contribution will help those communities to start to get back on their feet," said Faafoi.

Hundreds of people were evacuated overnight and many more face the risk of abandoning their homes in New Zealand's Canterbury region as heavy rains raised water levels and caused widespread flooding.

Hundreds of people were evacuated overnight and many more face the risk of abandoning their homes in New Zealand's Canterbury region as heavy rains raised water levels and caused widespread flooding. At least 300 homes in Canterbury were evacuated overnight as water levels rose in rivers across the region in a "one-in-100-year deluge", local media reports said on Monday. Several highways, schools and offices were closed and New Zealand's Defence Forces deployed helicopters to rescue some people stranded in floods in the Ashburton area. Ashburton's Mayor Neil Brown said "half of Ashburton" would need to be evacuated if the river's levees broke but there was "still quite a bit of capacity" in the river. "We need it to stop raining to let those rivers drop," said Brown, according to the New Zealand Herald. New Zealand's MetService had issued a red warning on Sunday for heavy rain for Canterbury and multiple warnings elsewhere. The government announced NZ$100,000 ($72,500) towards a Mayoral Relief Fund to support Canterbury communities impacted by the flooding, Kris Faafoi, the acting minister for emergency management said in a statement. "While it is still very early to know the full cost of the damage, we expect it to be significant and this initial contribution will help those communities to start to get back on their feet," said Faafoi.

Hundreds evacuated in New Zealand's Canterbury region floods

Thousands of homes are at risk of flooding in New Zealand's Canterbury region as continues heavy rain raised water levels. At least 300 homes in Canterbury were evacuated overnight as water levels rose in rivers across the region in a "one-in-100-year deluge".

New Zealand: Heavy rains raised water levels and caused widespread flooding