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A request to interview Brown on Monday was also declined, although he later held a press conference. According to his Twitter feed, Brown was planning to “inspect damage, listen to the community and check that preparations are fully in place for tonight and the rest of the week”.
There have been calls for Brown to resign over his leadership during the floods with questions asked about the time taken to sign and communicate a declaration of a state of emergency when the flooding hit the city on Friday.
Staff work to repair damage after a slip claimed a power pole in Auckland, New Zealand. Credit:Getty Images
In response to questions about his handling of the disaster Brown on Monday said: “I’m certainly not going to resign”.
He announced there would be an independent review of the response to floods would include the actions of himself and his team. However, he said he didn’t feel he had personally done anything wrong and had been “following instructions”.
New Zealand weather provider Metservice said there were “deep, moisture laden clouds with cold tops” heading to the northern part of New Zealand and issued heavy rain warnings for much of the north of the country from Tuesday afternoon.
Restaurant owner Sarah Newson, right, cleans the flood damage at her business in Auckland.Credit:AP
Auckland has already received record levels of rain in the past four days and sodden ground and full rivers mean new rainfall brings increased risks.
Beaches around the city of 1.6 million are off limits due to contaminated water, several main roads remain closed, and all Auckland schools will remain shut until February 7. Evacuation centres have been set up across the city.
Kelleher said Auckland domestic airport was now running at full capacity and Auckland International Airport was operating at near capacity and hoped to return to normal operations soon.
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The council has designated 77 houses as uninhabitable and has prevented people from entering them. A further 318 properties were deemed at risk, with access restricted to certain areas for short periods.
Stuff.co.nz, Reuters
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