Residents in the northern region of New Zealand are preparing for a hard night as Cyclone Gabrielle pummels the country with torrential rainfall and strong gusts.
Hundreds of flights have been canceled, and at least 46,000 houses have lost electricity due to the storm.
A state of emergency has been proclaimed in nine districts, affecting about one-third of the country’s 5,1 million inhabitants.
The storm was predicted to reach its climax on Monday evening, with the rain continuing through Tuesday.
Local media stated that officials in New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, evacuated 50 homes surrounding a 30 m-tall tower that was at imminent risk of collapsing.
Additionally, dozens of evacuation centers have been established throughout the city.
Emergency services have reportedly received reports of people stranded by the rising waters, including a family on a flooded roadway. Since Sunday, authorities report receiving more than one hundred pleas for help.
The north of New Zealand is being hammered by Cyclone Gabrielle only weeks after record rains and flooding killed four people in Auckland and the surrounding area.
Chris Hipkins, the prime minister of New Zealand, was among those trapped in the northern city on Monday when flights to Wellington and beyond were canceled.
He stated, “Extreme weather event has followed extreme weather event.” The situation is likely to worsen before it improves.
On Monday, he announced an aid package worth NZ$11.5m (£6m; US$7.3m).
Emergency management minister Kieran McAnulty said the government was considering declaring a nationwide state of emergency for only the third time in the nation’s history.
Once a state of emergency has been declared, local authorities have more authority to respond to dangerous events. Such as restricting travel and giving relief.
Metservice, the meteorological organization of New Zealand, said that Whangarei, a city north of Auckland, has received 100.5 millimeters of precipitation in the previous 12 hours.
Mr. McAnulty had warned that Monday would be “crucial” due to the “extremely dangerous” combination of high winds and heavy rain.
The Northland region was pummeled by winds of up to 140 km/h (87 mph). While the Auckland Harbour Bridge had to be shut down due to 110 km/h winds.
The minister warned that restoring power to houses without electricity might take days due to “unsafe” conditions.
Meteorologists had previously downgraded Gabrielle’s intensity, but in its most recent report on Monday. The Metservice stated that the storm would still bring “significant heavy rain and potentially damaging winds.”
Although the cyclone has not yet made landfall, it has already destroyed trees, roads, and power lines.
Several schools and local government facilities in Auckland and the North Island have closed. And people are advised not to travel until Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the cancellation of 509 flights disrupted the travel plans of approximately 10,000 Air New Zealand customers.
To aid recovery, the national carrier added 11 domestic flights on Tuesday.
