Natural Disasters

Homes suspended over landslides; lives suspended by bodies that can't or won't help 

Some areas are the most eroded they have been in decades. The focus now is on whether they can recover.

The Emergency Management Agency says it can be easily overwhelmed with a moderate event.

Fewer Auckland residents would be at risk in the event of a tsunami than the council previously thought.

One resident said they had nothing left to give. Another said their community had been blindsided.

A year on from the devastating Auckland Anniversary Weekend storms, the evidence of them remains all over the city

Bay of Plenty residents have been experiencing virtual earthquakes and tsunamis this summer as a way for the Tauranga City Council to engage residents about the coastal risks the area faces. Video

GNS Science says councils should be more proactive to avoid costly and potentially fatal landslides.

Auckland will take years to recover from the the Anniversary Floods and Cyclone Gabrielle devastation, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says.

"Every time we get looted they take something from our house, even if there's nothing," a resident of one flood-hit Auckland street says.

Cyclone Kirrily is bearing down on Far North Queensland, and could cause heavier-than-usual rainfall on this side of the Tasman too. Audio

A year on, much of the city is back to normal, but there are still those struggling in the wake of the floods, still unable to return to their homes.

The weather monitoring agency says the feature is partially a response to the widespread confusion during last year's floods in Auckland. Audio

Rescue efforts are under way in sub-zero temperatures in the southwestern province of Yunnan.