Hundreds evacuated from floods in New Zealand

The military helped evacuate more than 50 people including several overnight in an NH-90 military helicopter

A member of the New Zealand Defence Force rescues a dog from floods as they assist a family with their evacuation near Ashburton in New Zealand’s South Island (Corporal Sean Spivey/NZDF via AP)

Several hundred people in New Zealand have been evacuated from their homes as heavy rain caused widespread flooding in the Canterbury region.

Authorities declared a state of emergency after some places received as much as 40 centimetres (16 inches) of rain over the weekend and into Monday.