Heavy rain and strong winds disrupted daily life across New Zealand’s North Island on Monday. Flights, trains and ferries were cancelled. Many roads were closed due to flooding and fallen trees. Tens of thousands of homes lost power, reported Reuters.

Images online showed flooded neighbourhoods and damaged roads. Trees fell onto vehicles and homes were inundated. Marilyn Bulford from Bunnythorpe described the storm as “absolutely terrifying” in an interview with the The New Zealand Herald. She said she had never seen trees blowing so violently before.

According to Reuters, emergency services received 852 calls overnight. The Wellington region accounted for more than half of them. Authorities said more than 30,000 properties were without electricity. Several schools were closed and residents were urged to stay off the roads.

The storm is expected to move toward the South Island’s east coast on Tuesday. Officials warned of further heavy rain and disruption. The severe weather comes weeks after a deadly landslide at Mount Maunganui, where six people died during heavy rains.