WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Swathes of New Zealand were pummeled by dangerous winds for the second time in a week on Thursday, with howling gales canceling hundreds of flights, causing electricity blackouts and forcing school closures.
The gales were worst in the lower North Island, where the capital Wellington is located, and in parts of the South Island, including the city of Christchurch. The national forecaster MetService issued rare “red” wind warnings, the highest level of alert, for several regions.
No deaths or serious injuries were reported. When a different weather system battered the country on Monday, a Wellington man was struck and killed by a falling tree branch.
The havoc on Thursday also disrupted planned rallies for health and education workers in what was likely the country’s biggest industrial walkout in decades. More than 100,000 workers represented by four unions walked off the job for four hours, after months of talks with the government about pay and conditions broke down.
Wind caused transport chaos
More than 200 flights across New Zealand were canceled on Thursday as some urban parts of New Zealand experienced wind speeds of 140 to 160 km (87 to 100 miles) per hour, with gusts in one remote, rural part of the South Island registering 230 km (143 miles) per hour.
Tens of thousands of properties were without power in different parts of the country. The winds downed trees, ripped off roofs, and in the city of Dunedin, toppled shipping containers at the port.
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Dangerous winds also forced the closure of some highways. The remote West Coast of the South Island was cut off by road after flooding closed the only routes to the area.
Weather dampened planned ‘mega strike’
Some rallies by teachers, doctors and nurses around the country whose unions had planned a coordinated strike Thursday were canceled due to the weather. Union leaders said workers were still on strike, even where demonstrations were canceled.
Thousands still marched in the cities of Auckland and Hamilton, and hundreds of people turned out for demonstrations in small towns unaffected by the bad weather.
Hospitals and emergency rooms remained open to the public, but the government health agency urged people not to seek medical attention unless the matter was urgent. Medical staff at one hospital in the city of Nelson returned to work during the strike when the facility lost electricity in high winds.
In the days before the strike, ministers in New Zealand’s center-right government — often at odds with workers’ unions — lambasted the action as politically motivated. Union leaders rejected the charge, saying they had also enacted strikes during the previous center-left government.
About half of those who walked off the job were teachers and the rest included doctors, dentists, nurses, social workers and other medical practitioners. Their demands varied between industries, but pay, staffing levels and working conditions were the central complaints prompting the strike.
The action came amid steep government cuts to public spending and record numbers of New Zealanders leaving the country — particularly for neighboring Australia, where medical practitioners are lured by higher salaries and lower living costs.
Storm havoc due to ease Friday
Several major highways remained closed on Thursday night and residents of some South Island regions remained on alert as rivers rose and threatened to breach their banks. Winds were due to ease by Friday, although the authorities urged caution for travelers.
Bans on fireworks and fires were enacted for much of the country and would remain in place for the rest of the week, the national fire service said. The strong winds whipped up wildfires during both Monday’s and Thursday’s storms and fire fighters hadn’t been able to quell the worst of the blazes by Thursday night.
New Zealand’s location in the southern latitudes and the mountain ranges that run the length of the country can produce wild weather throughout the year.
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