NEW ZEALAND: Cyclone battered New Zealand on Tuesday morning declared an emergency for only the third time in its history to strengthen resources in response to ‘Gabrielle’. High winds and heavy rains lashed the North Island in what is being called an ‘unprecedented weather event’.
Cyclone Gabrielle has swept away roads and inundated homes throwing more than 225,000 people into darkness. Daylight revealed the severity of the disaster; roads eaten away by landslips and collapsed homes buried in mud, silt, and a slew of storm detritus.
The Minister for Emergency Management, Kieran McAnulty, while signing the declaration said, “This is an unprecedented weather event that is having major impacts across much of the North Island.”
“Since Sunday, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have been in close contact with local civil defense emergency management (CDEM) teams of affected areas to assess the need of a declaration of a state of National Emergency,” he added.
“It has been a big night for New Zealanders across the country, but particularly in the upper North Island … a lot of families displaced, a lot of homes without power, extensive damage done across the country,” Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told reporters after the declaration.
Beach settlements have been evacuated and people have been urged to leave homes as rivers continue to swell and huge surf inundates beachfront properties. Roads are closed, mobile phone services are down and some towns are cut off. Residents in hard-hit areas are being asked to conserve water and food because of fears of shortages. Air New Zealand has again canceled all domestic flights in and out of Auckland. Helicopters and boats have been deployed to rescue people trapped by rapidly rising water levels in Hawke’s Bay, southeast of Auckland.
Earlier, an emergency was declared in the country following the 2019 Christchurch attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic. An earthquake in 2011 also prompted authorities to declare an emergency.