A truck that became trapped following a landslide after Storm Gabrielle passed near Wairoa on the east coast of the North Island, New Zealand February 14, 2023. HANDOUT / AFP
The casualties of Storm Gabrielle, which hit New Zealand on Monday February 13 and Tuesday February 14, total three dead, authorities said on Wednesday.
A body was found where a firefighter was reported missing when a house collapsed in bad weather in west Auckland and two others in the Hawke’s Bay area of the North Island, Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty said. Although the worst is over, authorities warned on Wednesday that the danger is not yet over.
Cyclone Gabrielle, which crossed the South Pacific, was downgraded to storm status as it approached New Zealand on Sunday. Fierce winds and torrential rains hit the North Island, home to more than three-quarters of the country’s 5 million people, Monday night into Tuesday, causing flooding and landslides. This storm caused gusts of up to 140 km/h, a cumulative rainfall of up to 200 mm in 24 hours and waves of 11 metres.
“The most important weather event of the century”
Authorities are beginning to measure the extent of damage in remote towns where floodwaters have washed away roads and cut communications. Around 10,500 people have been displaced, Kieran McAnulty said. And 140,000 people are without power, although power is gradually being restored.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called Gabrielle “New Zealand’s most significant weather event of this century” and a national emergency was declared for a week.
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers In New Zealand, Chris Hipkins is preparing to replace Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister
“The damage is significant across the country,” Mr Hipkins lamented at a news conference in Auckland on Tuesday. “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 as roads were cut after landslides or floods. According to local media, people had to swim out of their homes to get to safety.