Wellington, New Zealand Residents in and around New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, are being urged to brace for further heavy rains, flooding and gale force winds, and some homes are being evacuated as Cyclone Gabrielle approaches the country’s coast.
Gabrielle is currently sitting 200 kilometers (125 miles) northeast of Auckland and is expected to move close to the east coast in the next 24 hours.
“Unfortunately, we expect the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle to get worse before they get better,” said Rachel Kelleher, deputy chief of Auckland Emergency Management on Monday.
“It’s not the time to be complacent,” she added.
The cyclone is the second significant weather event to hit Auckland and the upper North Island in a few weeks. Record rainfall hit Auckland and the surrounding area last month, triggering flooding and killing four people.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins (C), Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni (R) and Transport Minister Michael Wood (L) at the Waka Kotahi Auckland Transport Operations Room prior to the arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle February 12 in Auckland.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Monday announced a NZ$11.5 million ($7.25 million) package to support community groups such as food banks and groups affected by the floods.
On Monday, many schools and local government bodies across Auckland and the Upper North Island were closed and people were asked not to travel if possible.
A state of emergency applies in Auckland and at least six other regions. Around 50 homes in Auckland have been evacuated amid fears a centuries-old steel-framed tower could collapse.
More evacuations were ordered in east coast beach communities ahead of an expected storm surge in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
46,000 homes have lost power, cellphone coverage is patchy in some areas, and trees have fallen and roofs have come off.
Public transport has been disrupted as ferries, buses and trains are either suspended or operating on a reduced schedule.
Air New Zealand has canceled 509 flights and flights will resume on Tuesday when the weather is expected to improve.
A damaged house is destroyed after a cyclone hit Titirangi, a suburb of West Auckland, New Zealand on February 13, 2023.
Police said they were trying to locate a person who was aboard a boat near Great Barrier Island this morning after responding to reports the boat was in distress.
“The Police Maritime Unit, assisted by Eagle, attempted to approach the boat throughout the morning but conditions were challenging and no one was found at the time,” the statement said.
Metservice meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said overnight that Auckland and Great Barrier Island could see heavy rain and wind.
“I think parts of Auckland that haven’t experienced challenging wind conditions are likely to experience storms overnight,” she said.
“The storm surge is still coming and could peak with the 2am tide for eastern parts of Auckland.”
She added that given Auckland was already saturated, some local landslides and flooding were to be expected.