A street in Te Awanga, a small coastal town in New Zealand, was hit by water on February 14, 2023. WARREN BUCKLAND/AP
The New Zealand government on Tuesday February 14 declared a state of emergency for the entire archipelago, which was hit by a violent storm that left tens of thousands of homes without power and caused flooding and landslides. This “unprecedented meteorological event”, according to the authorities, led to strong winds and heavy rainfall on the North Island during the night from Monday to Tuesday.
“The damage is significant across the country,” Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said at a news conference in Auckland. “Many families have been displaced, many houses are without electricity,” he added. Homes were damaged by falling trees or invaded by mud and rubbish. Some residents were therefore completely isolated, with roads cut off after landslides or floods. According to local media, people had to swim out of their homes to get to safety.
Cyclone Gabrielle, which crossed the South Pacific, was downgraded to storm status as it approached New Zealand on Sunday. This storm brought wind gusts of up to 140 km/h, a precipitation accumulation of up to 200 mm in 24 hours and waves of 11 metres. Mr Hipkins said it was “too early to say” how many people had been evacuated from their homes and were without electricity or phone reception.
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“Unprecedented bad weather”
“These are unprecedented bad weather conditions that are having a huge impact in the north of the country,” said Kieran McAnulty, Minister for Emergency Management, with “widespread flooding, landslides, roads and other infrastructure damaged.”
“It’s a big catastrophe [qui représente] a real threat to the lives of New Zealanders,” McAnulty warned, adding that a national emergency has been declared for seven days. He said more rain and strong winds are expected on Tuesday, making relief efforts difficult. ” THE [informations] that reached us overnight are of great concern, Mr McAnulty told reporters. Emergency services are on duty day and night, but unstable ground, flooding and closed roads complicate the situation. »
The New Zealand Fire and Rescue Services reported one missing and another in critical condition after a house collapse in West Auckland. The storm grounded planes on Monday, and Air New Zealand said travel had been disrupted for around 10,000 international customers. The airline announced the resumption of some flights on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Hipkins pledged NZ$11.5 million (€6.8 million) in aid to help with the repairs. Auckland, the country’s largest city with 1.6 million people, is barely recovering from flash floods that killed four people and displaced thousands from their homes in late January.
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