Wellington, New Zealand— A severe coastal storm slammed into the capital overnight, triggering mudslides that slid into hillside suburbs and left two residents injured by falling debris.
The storm hit after 10 p.m. with southerly gusts over 110 km/h and heavy rain. By 2 a.m., slips were reported across the eastern suburbs. One mudslide pushed through the back wall of a house in Maupuia. Another blocked a road in Breaker Bay, trapping two cars.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said two people were injured. A woman in her 60s was hit by debris inside her home. A man in his 40s was injured while trying to clear a blocked drain. Both were taken to Wellington Hospital with moderate injuries. No one was reported missing.
Wellington City Council closed several hill roads. Power was cut to more than 300 homes after a slip took down a pole. Water crews were sent to check reservoirs as sediment entered supply lines. Residents were told to boil water in two suburbs.
"We heard the hill go, a deep rumble, then glass breaking downstairs," a resident of the affected house said. "Mud came through the laundry. We got out through the front."
MetService said 85 millimeters of rain fell in six hours on already saturated ground. Combined with high tides, runoff had nowhere to go. Coastal roads were covered in sea foam and gravel. Waves overtopped the seawall at Owhiro Bay.
Geotechnical engineers will assess the worst-hit slopes before residents can return. Four homes were yellow-stickered, meaning restricted entry. Two were red-stickered. The council said more slips were likely as rain continued.
Emergency centres were opened at two community halls. About 40 people stayed overnight. Buses replaced cable cars on some routes due to debris.
The storm was expected to ease by late Saturday afternoon. Cleanup will take days.
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