Floods hamper rescue efforts as North Island residents say power could be out for weeks – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

You can also read our full report by our New Zealand correspondent Tess McClure.

Latest storm summary for February 14th

Before we close our live blog, here’s a quick recap of today’s developments.

Thanks for reading today and take care out there.

• As fierce winds and rain from former Cyclone Gabrielle battered the North Island overnight, residents woke up on Tuesday roads eroded by landslides, collapsed houses buried in mud, people trapped on rooftops, downed trees and power lines, flood waters blocking roads, and stranded communities.

• The New Zealand government has declared a national emergency – for only the third time in the country’s history (the previous occasions were in response to the 2019 Christchurch attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic).

• The areas hardest hit by the storm appear to be on the east coast and far north of the North Island.

• At least 2,500 people have been displaced and 225,000 were left without power.

• New Zealanders have been told that power might not be restored in some areas “for days to weeks”.

• Strong winds prevented helicopters from rescuing people locked in houses and vehicles.

• Authorities are “really concerned” about the Hawke’s Bay development in Wairoawho remain cut off from communication.

• A Fireman missing after a landslide in Muriwai, Auckland, destroyed a house he was checking.

• When Parliament briefly returned (it has now been postponed by a week) Climate Change Secretary James Shaw delivered an irate speech denouncing Parliament for the lost decades of “bickering” over the climate crisis.

• Air New Zealand has canceled all domestic flights in and out of Auckland on Tuesday afternoon.

• Cyclone Gabrielle is gradually moving southeast away from New Zealand, but the risk of landslides is expected to remain high, particularly if the rains continue.

• If you are personally affected by the disasterand are in a safe place to communicate, we’d love to hear from you.

Updated at 06:14 GMT

Some figures from the Prime Minister’s latest briefing:

• 2,500 displaced and evacuated in the cyclone. This figure is the government’s first estimate and is subject to change as there are still areas where communications are down.

• 225,000 people without electricity over the North Island. Some could go without power for weeks, the national grid operator said.

• 1,842 incidents recorded by Fire and Emergency related to Cyclone Gabrielle – at this stage, FENZ only responds to incidents that pose a risk to life.

• 200 defense forces deployed so far with 22 army vehicles on site

• $11.5 million Introduced by the government for community groups and providers responding to the crisis – this figure does not capture emergency response, evacuations or the cost of the broader response.

• 2 active rescues en route to try to gain access to those trapped by the rising tide.

• 1 missing person reported: A firefighter remains missing after a landslide in Muriwai destroyed a home he was checking.

Updated at 05:39 GMT

Ministers ‘really concerned’ as Hawke’s Bay town of Wairoa was cut off

The government is “really concerned” about Wairoa, a Hawke’s Bay community of about 8,600 where all communications, including satellite phones, have been disrupted.

McAnulty said:

We’re aware of some flooding but we don’t know to what extent – and until the weather clears up and we are [able to] Either restore communications or get the people on the ground, we don’t have a full understanding of the impact there. It makes us anxious and it makes us worried.

We’re really worried about that. We want to make connections as soon as the weather permits – this is planned.

Updated at 05:35 GMT

Fruit growers stranded on rooftops in Hawke’s Bay

Two active rescue missions are underway in Hawke’s Bay. One is a group of orchard workers who were initially trapped on rooftops as the flood waters rose. McAnulty said there was a helicopter call to rescue her, but the weather was hampered.

“They’ve been stranded for quite some time,” he said. “There was a real delay because of the weather – even an NH 90 [military helicopter] couldn’t reach her.”

Updated at 05:22 GMT

Danger of landslides to stay on the road despite ‘calmer weather’

The cyclone is now gradually moving south-east away from New Zealand and the weather should calm down over the next day, the Prime Minister said – but he warned the risk of landslides could remain high, particularly if rain continues.

“A little more precipitation can add to the rains that we’ve already seen – so when it comes to things like slips and whatnot, we could see more of that even as the weather starts to ease up,” Hipkins said. “We still have a bumpy, bumpy time ahead of us.

“The good news is that we should see calmer weather in the next 24 hours or so.”

Updated at 05:18 GMT

2,500 displaced so far, says Minister for Emergency Management

These are the first government estimates of displaced people. Minister Kieran McAnulty says: “We are only working on estimates here because there are still areas that we have had difficulty communicating with.”

But the government is aware of 2,500 people – about 1,000 in the far north, about 1,000 in Hawke’s Bay and about 400 households in Auckland.

Hipkins said the number could shift as there are still large areas of the North Island that cannot be reached by road or telecommunications.

Updated at 05:07 GMT

Australia and UK offer support to New Zealand

New Zealand has received “offers of reassuring support” from the Australian government and Hipkins said he spoke to the British Prime Minister today. Rishi Sunakwho also offered the support of the country.

Updated at 05.06 GMT

Damage to the power grid not seen since Cyclone Bola in the 1980s

Damage to New Zealand’s power grid is extensive, says the Prime Minister, and no damage has occurred since Cyclone Bola in the 1980s.

He says a grid emergency still exists, with power to Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne completely disrupted and “possible outages for an extended period of time”.

Approximately 225,000 customers were without power in the North Island.

The situation is changing rapidly and the line companies assume that other customers could be affected.

Updated at 04:57 GMT

Cyclone Gabrielle is the biggest weather event to hit New Zealand this century, PM says

the prime minister, Chris Hipkin, speak now. He says the government is still trying to assess the extent of the damage but says it’s already the biggest weather event to hit New Zealand in this century.

We’re still building a picture of the impact of the cyclone as it continues to unfold. What we do know, however, is that the impact is significant and widespread.

Cyclone Gabrielle is the most significant weather event New Zealand has experienced this century. The severity and damage we are seeing has not been experienced in a generation.

Updated at 06:18 GMT

PM gives update on storm

We await a briefing from the Prime Minister Chris Hipkin and Minister of Emergencies Kieran McAnulty in the next 10 minutes or so, bringing you the latest news from Parliament.

Updated at 04:42 GMT

Footage of a submerged truck shows the dramatic rise in floodwater, taking vehicles and patio furniture with it Puketapu, Hawke’s Bay.

Tongan workers in New Zealand’s North Island had just over 40 minutes before flood waters forced them to seek shelter on rooftops.

You can watch the scene in the video below.

Strong wind warnings continue to apply for large parts of the North Island

Strong wind warnings are still in place for parts of the North Island, with unrelenting storms hitting some areas. MetService has reported 30 consecutive hours of gale force winds on the tip of Northland.

💨 Cape Reinga, just north of Northland, has reported 30 consecutive hours of hurricane force winds.

— MetService (@MetService) February 14, 2023

Updated at 04:41 GMT

Photos show the rescue of a sailor stranded on a yacht in a cyclone

The dramatic rescue of a stranded sailor from a yacht caught at sea was captured in a series of images published by New Zealand Defense Forces Today.

The boat had been in trouble off the coast of Great Barrier Island since Monday night when its anchor cable snapped. The yacht, with a sailor on board, was grounded and then swept out to sea.

Due to the storm, no aircraft were able to reach the ship at the time,” the New Zealand Navy said in a statement on Tuesday. “After searching for the ship overnight, Te Mana received new details about the ship’s location after a distress beacon was activated.”

The sailor was safely towed from the boat onto the HMNZS Te Mana frigate by Navy divers.

Updated at 04:39 GMT

MetService shared a series of satellite images over New Zealand at 9am Tuesday morning.

It shows strong winds moving clockwise around Cyclone Gabrielle.

A loop of satellite imagery from this morning at 9am.

This helps show how the winds move clockwise around Cyclone Gabrielle.

You can also see the entire system slowly moving south and east. pic.twitter.com/19M0NhygVP

— MetService (@MetService) February 14, 2023

Aotearoa New Zealand correspondent for the Guardian, Tess McClure, has written about the extraordinary speech of the climate minister, James Shawin Parliament today as Cyclone Gabrielle devastates the country.

His angry speech condemned New Zealand’s parliament for lost decades of “bickering” over the climate crisis.

Shaw, co-leader of the Greens, attributed the scale of the disaster to the climate crisis, saying: “There will be people who will say it’s ‘too soon’ to talk about these things… but we’re in the middle of it now. This is an event related to climate change. The severity of this is, of course, compounded by the fact that our global temperatures have already risen by 1.1 degrees.

“We need to stop making excuses for inaction. We can’t bury our heads in the sand when the beach is flooded. We must act now.”

You can read the whole story here:

Updated at 03:59 GMT