6 February
In New Zealand, hundreds of residents in the south have been evacuated due to flooding after heavy rain.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency in some regions.
Many roads have been cut off and schools closed.
In the district of Gore, residents were seen carrying sandbags along the Mataura River, which reportedly burst its banks.
Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks said he had never seen the river rise so high.
Some 2,400 residents were allowed back to their homes on Wednesday evening, but authorities say several hundred others needed to be evacuated.
Elsewhere in the region, around 230 tourists were stranded near Milford Sound, one of the country's top tourist attractions.
Authorities say they rescued all of them by helicopter.
The flooding could also hit the country's main industry.
A dairy industry think tank says some 100 farms have been isolated or flooded.
Authorities are concerned that farmers may lose their stores of hay for livestock.
-NHK
