States of emergency declared as Cyclone Cook bears down on New Zealand [View all]

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Source: The Age

Ex-tropical cyclone Cook is bearing down on New Zealand and is set to be the worst storm system in nearly 50 years.

Heavy rain and high winds forecast for a big swath of the country were set to cause big disruption on the last day before the Easter break, with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) warning it may have to close the Auckland harbour bridge if wind speeds get high on Thursday afternoon.

Air travellers looked certain to be affected too with Air New Zealand advising customers to anticipate delays and cancellations across its network.

Both Bay of Plenty and Coromandel have declared states of emergency, ahead of Cook's arrival.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/states-of-emergency-declared-as-cyclone-cook-bears-down-on-new-zealand-20170412-gvk1qw.html

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Additional info:
Live: Cyclone Cook - MetService says worst storm in generations bearing down

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11837255

KEY POINTS

Cook is being regarded as the worst storm New Zealand has seen in generations
The storm is now expected to make landfall around 6pm
Residents of low-lying Coromandel east coast told to evacuate immediately
137 schools and 133 early learning centres have been closed across the North Island
Thames, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty are under states of emergency
People are on high alert in Bay of Plenty and may need to evacuate with little notice
The eastern coastline is expected to come in for a hammering from huge waves and fears of inundation and erosion
Helicopters and emergency welfare teams are on standby
People are being urged to delay their Easter holiday plans