Cyclone Gabrielle has started to track away from New Zealand after leaving a trail of destruction across large parts of the nation’s North Island.
Some 225,000 homes are without electricity, at least 2,500 people have been evacuated and tens of thousands have had travel disrupted after Gabrielle caused flooding and landslips, felled trees and power lines, closed roads and halted flights from Auckland Airport. The government earlier Tuesday declared a national state of emergency for just the third time in New Zealand’s history.
“Cyclone Gabrielle is the most significant weather event New Zealand has seen this century,” Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told reporters in Wellington. “The severity and the breadth of the damage that we are seeing has not been experienced in a generation. We are still building a picture of the effects of the cyclone.”
Cyclone Gabrielle Hits New Zealand Leaving Thousands of Homes Without Power
Gabrielle is now moving in a south-east direction away from the country, though Hipkins warned of ongoing bad weather in the night ahead and said power outages could continue for several days. It comes just two weeks after Auckland, home to 1.6 million people, was smashed by a storm that caused extensive damage and killed four people.
Emergency services are searching for a firefighter missing after being caught in a sudden landslide at Muriwai on Auckland’s west coast after gales and rain buffeted the region. More than 265 millimeters (10 inches) of rain was recorded there in a 12-hour period.
The firefighter was one of two trapped at Muriwai after the deluge caused multiple slips, damaged homes and sparked evacuations. The other firefighter was rescued with critical injuries.
🛰 Aotearoa from above 🌀#CycloneGabrielle is currently centred just east of Great Barrier Island. But the sweep of her cloud is well past Christchurch. pic.twitter.com/9NmH3Rs19b
— MetService (@MetService) Feb. 13, 2023
A river north of Auckland burst its banks and required evacuations while wind threatened to topple a tower in Auckland city, also forcing local residents to leave their homes.
Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty said roughly 2,500 people have been evacuated across the North Island so far, but added “we’re only working on estimates here because there are still areas we’re struggling to communicate with.”
As the storm system moved toward New Zealand’s east coast, rivers in the regions of Tairawhiti and Hawke’s Bay burst their banks and washed away bridges, leaving emergency services scrambling to reach people trapped by flooding.
With road access blocked, numerous communities and individuals are isolated while power outages have disrupted cellular communications, leaving some impossible to contact. The defense force is mobilizing trucks and personnel to assist with evacuations.
Auckland is now facing some respite as Gabrielle departs.
The city’s airport reopened Tuesday and Air New Zealand resumed international and domestic jet services through its busiest hub. However, high winds affected several flights and the airline eventually canceled all remaining domestic services mid-afternoon.
“The good news is overnight tonight in most areas we are expecting to see the weather easing,” Hipkins said. “But we’re still in for a bumpy time ahead.”
Photograph: Floodwaters surround houses in in Auckland on Feb. 14, 2023. Photo credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images
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