Emergency lifted after New Zealand storm less than feared

New Zealand's Northland region lifted a state of emergency declaration on Wednesday after an overnight storm didn't turn out as bad as feared. A heavy rain warning for Auckland was also lifted, although a state of emergency remained in place for the nation's largest city after record rainfall and flooding on Friday killed four people and caused widespread disruption.

On Friday, the amount of rain that would typically fall during an entire summer hit in a single day. Emergency officials said some 200 homes and businesses around the city were assessed as too unsafe to enter after the flooding.