Hundreds evacuated from New Zealand town after levee fails

Wellington: People used jet boats and tractors to help rescue about 2,000 residents of a New Zealand town after a river burst through a concrete levee, flooding hundreds of homes and businesses.

Local authorities declared a state of emergency after the levee failed Thursday morning, flooding sections of Edgecumbe on the North Island. The nation has been drenched by the remnants of Cyclone Debbie, which flooded parts of Australia's east coast last week.

Whakatane District Council Mayor Tony Bonne said the water was more than 1 meter (3.3 feet) deep in some homes and that one nearby river had reached an all-time record height. He said some leaking had occurred around the concrete levee and crews had been reinforcing it when "she just let go."