State of Emergency declared in Bay of Plenty as Cyclone Cook bears down on NZ

A local state of emergency has been declared for the Bay of Plenty.

Severe weather is expected in the region as Cyclone Cook bears down on New Zealand in the next 48 hours.

Bay of Plenty Civil Defence emergency management group has announced a local state of emergency for the region this afternoon.

It supersedes the state of emergency declared for the Whakatane District Council, announced last Thursday.

Up to 250mm of rain is expected to lash the Bay of Plenty in the 48 hours from midday tomorrow, the the region's council said. The area is still mopping up from last week's deluge, when the remnants of ex-tropical Cyclone Debbie hit New Zealand, bringing flooding to large swathes of the North Island.

This article was first published on NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.