At least three people are dead and emergency services are struggling to reach isolated New Zealand communities in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, which devastated large areas of the nation’s North Island.
(Bloomberg) — At least three people are dead and emergency services are struggling to reach isolated New Zealand communities in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, which devastated large areas of the nation’s North Island.
At least 10,500 people have been forced from their homes, some 144,000 properties remain without power and several towns are cut off after surging rivers damaged bridges and roads were blocked by floods and landslips. One person was confirmed dead after a bank collapsed on her house while another was found dead on a beach. A body has also been discovered in the search for a missing firefighter west of Auckland.
“We are thankfully through the worst of the storm, but we’re not out of danger yet,” Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty told reporters Wednesday in Wellington. “We need to make sure that those that require rescuing are rescued.”
While Gabrielle has moved off New Zealand’s east coast, it has left a trail of destruction of infrastructure and property that will take a long time to repair. The government yesterday declared a national state of emergency for just the third time in the country’s history, with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins saying the cyclone is the most significant weather event New Zealand has witnessed this century.
The defence force is bringing in more personnel to assist with evacuations as several areas remain under threat from rising rivers.
Air force helicopters and a fleet of army vehicles have been deployed to rescue people, including airlifting several from rooftops surrounded by floodwaters. A navy ship will be arrive in Napier Thursday with emergency supplies and a C-130 Hercules aircraft is providing reconnaissance.
Electricity companies are working to restore power, grid operator Transpower said Wednesday.
The power outages severely disrupted cellular and fiber optic communications, leaving many communities contactable only by satellite phone. Some areas face shortages of food, water and other essentials, with residents urged to conserve where possible.
“Everyone knows we have a long path ahead of us as we deal with extensive damage to homes, businesses, roads and bridges and other fundamental parts of our infrastructure,” McAnulty said. “This is a significant disaster and it is going to take many weeks for those areas most affected to recover.”
The severity of the cyclone’s impact prompted the nation’s climate change minister to upbraid politicians for a lack of action on the warming planet.
“I struggle to find words to express what I am thinking and feeling about this particular crisis,” James Shaw, who is also co-leader of the Green Party, told parliament on Tuesday. “We need to stop making excuses for inaction. We cannot put our heads in the sand when the beach is flooding. We must act now.”
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