Thousands in New Zealand lost electricity as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle
As Cyclone Gabrielle rips across New Zealand’s north, about 46,000 houses are without electricity.
Numerous flights have been canceled as a result of the authorities issuing warnings of strong winds and rain.
As Gabrielle draws closer to the North Island, some areas have declared states of emergency.
It happens just a few weeks after record-breaking rainfall in Auckland and the neighboring areas caused flooding and claimed the lives of four people.
A NZ$11.5 million (£6 million; US$7.3 million) aid package was announced by New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who stated that “severe weather event has come on the back of extreme weather event.”
“It’s conceivable that things will become worse before they get better.”
For only the third time in the nation’s history, the government is considering issuing a nationwide state of emergency, according to emergency management minister Kieran McAnulty.
Five northern regions, including Auckland, have already proclaimed a state of emergency. The declaration offers local government more authority to respond to dangerous situations, enabling them to impose travel restrictions and offer assistance.
In the previous 12 hours, Whangarei, a city north of Auckland, received 100.5mm (4 inches) of rain, according to the meteorological agency of New Zealand, Metservice.
The “very dangerous” confluence of strong gusts and heavy rain, Mr. McAnulty continued, would make Monday a “critical day.” The Northland region was hammered by winds of up to 140 km/h (87 mph), while the Auckland Harbour Bridge was shaken by gusts of 110 km/h.
The inclement weather rendered it “unsafe” to work on the network, therefore he cautioned that it might take days to restore the electrical grid.
