Several hundred people in New Zealand were evacuated from their homes

Heavy rain and floods that forecasters said could be a "once-in-a-100-year" event continued to lash NewZealand's South Island on Monday.The heavy rain caused severe floods, evacuations of more than 240 homes, power cuts and rising rivers

Several hundred people in New Zealand were evacuated from their homes on Monday while others recounted dramatic helicopter rescues as heavy rain caused widespread flooding in the Canterbury region.Authorities declared a state of emergency in New Zealand after some places received as much as 40cm of rain over the weekend

NewZealand’s military has been deployed to evacuate hundreds of residents from flood-hit areas of the South Island as heavy rains wash away bridges and cut roads.

Hundreds of people in New Zealand have been forced to evacuate their homes due to a 1 in 100 year flood. There is continuing concern that some river levees could still break if the rain fails to subside.