Cyclone Gabrielle reached the shores of New Zealand today and has caused massive destruction to homes and various infrastructures due to which more than 46,000 homes in the north of New Zealand had lost power. Authorities have warned of heavy rain and winds. The national carrier Air New Zealand have cancelled hundreds of national and international flights.
Some areas have declared a state of emergency as the cyclone nears the North Island, just weeks after record rainfall in Auckland and surrounding areas resulted in floods that killed four people.
Over next 20 hours, wind guest of 130 km/hour and 400 millimeters of rain has been expected, according to weather forecast.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said “An extreme whether event has followed another extreme weather event. Things are likely to get worse before they get better” and announced an aid package of NZ$11.5m.
Emergency management minister Kieran McAnulty announced at a Monday media briefing that the government is considering declaring a national state of emergency, which would only happen for the third time in the country’s history.
States of emergency have been declared in Auckland and at least six other reigns, and above 50 apartments in Auckland were evacuated due to concerns about a potential collapse of century-old-steel farmed tower. On Monday, Local government facilities and many schools across Auckland and upper North Island declared to be close and people are advised not to travel until the situations gets better.
Ferries, buses, and trains have been either suspended or operating on a reduced schedule, disrupting public transportation.
The Government asked the citizens to store the essential things like food and water and prepares sandbags to buffer their homes and be ready for the extreme weather situations coming in the next few hours.
Meteorologist Georgina Griffiths from Metservice stated overnight that Auckland and Great Barrier Island are expected to experience heavy rain and winds. She added, “Gales are anticipated overnight in parts of Auckland that have not yet encountered challenging wind conditions.”