Thousands of homes in New Zealand were without power Monday, and flights were canceled as a tropical storm battered the country's north.
Kieran McAnulty, the minister for emergency management, predicted a "critical day" due to the "highly dangerous" combination of high winds and heavy rain.
Despite the fact that the storm has weakened from cyclone status, it has already toppled trees, damaged roads, and brought down power lines.
Five northern regions, including Auckland, have declared a state of emergency.
On New Zealand's North Island, 58,000 people are without power.
Officials warn that restoring the network could take several days.
"As long as the weather remains this bad, it's actually dangerous." to perform network work, McAnulty said.
New Zealand’s largest city – home to 1.6 million people – is still recovering after flash floods last month caused four deaths and forced thousands from their homes.
Winds of up to 140 kilometres (87 miles) per hour battered the Northland region, while Auckland Harbour Bridge was rocked by gusts of 110 kph.
McAnulty said the government is considering declaring a national state of emergency for only the third time in the country’s history, “but we may not have to”.
The weather also wreaked havoc on New Zealand’s travel network, with flights, trains and bus schedules all badly affected.
Air New Zealand said they had so far cancelled 509 flights, but normal services were expected to resume Tuesday.
The airline said 10,000 international customers were disrupted, with 6,500 left to be rebooked.