Cyclone Gabrielle devastates New Zealand, declares national emergency

In what was described by officials as an “unprecedented weather event,” the populous North Island of the country was battered by strong winds and heavy rain.

“It’s been a big night for people in New Zealand. In Auckland, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins stated to reporters, “A lot of homes are without power, and a lot of families are displaced.”

“A lot of damage has been done all over the country.”

After the attacks in Christchurch in 2019 and the Covid-19 pandemic, this is only the third time that New Zealand has declared a state of emergency.

The extent of the catastrophe was visible in the light: landslides destroyed roads and buried collapsed homes in mud, silt, and a variety of storm debris.

Flood waters blocked several roads and shattered power lines caused by falling trees, stranding communities in the north of the country.

According to the media in the area, some people had to swim to safety from their homes.

On foot, others waded through stormwaters.

Jane Scott, a Muriwai resident who gathered a torch and a few essentials before seeking refuge in a nearby community center, recalled, “At about midnight we got the emergency text saying evacuate.”

She told TVNZ, a local television station, “It was pitch black and pouring with rain.” It was terrifying.

It is still too early to say whether Cyclone Gabrielle formed on February 8 off the northeast coast of Australia in the Coral Sea and then sped across the South Pacific.

On Sunday, it hit the northern coast of New Zealand with winds of 140 kilometres per hour. It sprayed coastal communities with 20 centimeters (almost eight inches) of rain in 24 hours and waves that were 36 feet (11 meters) high.

The North Island of New Zealand, home to more than three-quarters of the country’s five million people, is currently bearing the brunt of the storm.

Hipkins stated that the number of people who had been evacuated from their homes and were without power or cell phone coverage “was too early to say.”

Providers of electricity estimate that over 100,000 people do not have access to electricity.

Both domestic and international flights have been grounded, with Air New Zealand alone reporting 592 cancelled flights and 35,000 affected passengers.

Cascading crises: Two weeks before Cyclone Gabrielle struck, record rainfall had soaked much of northern New Zealand, leaving many areas already flooded.

Christine Kenney, a professor at Massey University, issued a warning that New Zealand is currently experiencing an era of “cascading” natural disasters, in which the effects of numerous episodes of severe weather accumulate over time.

She stated prior to the emergency on Tuesday that “cascading natural hazard events fuelled by climate change are the new norm for Auckland.”

Daithi Stone, a climate scientist, said that Cyclone Gabrielle was feeding off unusually warm seas caused by climate change and La Nina weather patterns.

Using the Maori name for New Zealand, he stated on Tuesday that “Gabrielle is very much part of the story this summer of a warm nearby ocean using a warm atmosphere to pump rain onto Aotearoa.”

“It is also part of the global story of tropical cyclones getting stronger because of climate change caused by humans,”

Tuesday’s anticipated high winds and additional rain will further impede rescue efforts.

Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty stated, “The emergency services are working night and day, but the unstable ground, flood waters, and closed roads are making things difficult.”

After a house collapsed in West Auckland, the New Zealand Fire and Emergency Services reported that one firefighter is missing and another is in critical condition.

Kerry Gregory, the chief executive officer of the fire service, stated, “It’s been a tough night for the North Island as a whole, but it’s been especially tough for fire and emergency.”

Hipkins urged New Zealanders to prioritize “safety first” and expressed his sympathy for the two firefighters involved.

McAnulty acknowledged that the cost of the clean-up was expected to skyrocket, despite Hipkins’ promise of an aid package worth 11.5 million New Zealand dollars (about $7.25 million).

He stated, “The honest answer is that it will not be cheap, but that is not what we are concerned about right now.”