At least 4 dead, thousands displaced after Cyclone Gabrielle slams New Zealand

Courtney Travis
·4 min read
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The death and damage toll is mounting in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle, which unleashed flooding, landslides and strong winds in New Zealand as it moved through on Sunday and Monday.

As of Wednesday night, local time, officials say that at least four people are dead, including a child. An additional 10,500 people were displaced from their homes, according to BBC News, mainly in the country's hard-hit northern island. The Guardian reports that more than 1,440 were reported missing, but police are hopeful that many of those people will be found.

In the wake of the storm on Tuesday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins declared a state of emergency across New Zealand. It was only the third time in the nation's history that the emergency has been declared, after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

Cyclone Gabrielle was the second major weather event to slam New Zealand in a month, and the heavy rain, winds and storm surge made the storm the most impactful tropical system in over 25 years.

"New Zealand's last significant tropical hit was with back-to-back cyclones, Fergus and Drena, in December of 1996 and January of 1997, respectively," said AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls.

The above satellite image shows Cyclone Gabrielle Saturday, Feb. 11, as it nears northern New Zealand (RAMMB/CIRA).

The costliest tropical cyclone in New Zealand's history was Cyclone Bola which hit the country in 1988. More than 12 inches (300 mm) of rain hit northern New Zealand with that storm, with widespread rainfall amounts of 4-8 inches (100-200 mm) common across the southern island. Gabrielle may seriously challenge that distinction, as the scope of the devastation becomes clearer in the coming weeks and months.

At its peak Friday evening, local time, Gabrielle was a Category 3 tropical cyclone over the open waters of the Coral Sea. The storm had sustained winds in excess of 74 mph (120 km/h), equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic or East Pacific Ocean basins.

By Tuesday night, local time, Gabrielle had lost wind intensity and became a post-tropical cyclone as it moved away from New Zealand.

In the Hawke's Bay region, residents were trapped on rooftops as floodwaters rose. Nearly 300 people were rescued by helicopter, with rescue missions still ongoing, as of Wednesday night, local time. Several landslides reported along the northwestern coast destroyed roads and buildings. One landslide west of Auckland swept away two firefighters on Tuesday; one was last reported in critical condition, and the other was found dead.

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Torrential rain began over the weekend on the northern third of New Zealand's North Island. Since Sunday, Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, has reported about 4.50 inches (about 115 mm) of rain. However, some locations have been hit even harder. The town of Whangarei, well to the northwest of Auckland, reported 13.98 inches (355 mm) of rain since Saturday.

The AccuWeather radar shows an area of rain around Wellington, New Zealand, Wednesday morning, local time, on Feb. 15.

The cyclone also brought damaging winds across the Northland region. Winds at Tutukaka Harbor gusted to 86 mph (140 km/h) Sunday, while winds were strong enough to force the Auckland Harbor Bridge to close. At the peak of the storm, hundreds of thousands of customers were without power due to the strong winds.

The country's largest airport in Auckland also confirmed hundreds of canceled flights on Twitter before suspending all domestic and international flights Tuesday afternoon. Public transport was also disrupted, with ferries, buses and trains either suspended or operating on a reduced schedule. By Wednesday morning, local time, flight service was resuming.

Complicating the rescue and recovery efforts was a magnitude 6.1 earthquake centered offshore that was felt widely across the country on Wednesday. Fortunately, there were no reports of a tsunami or new damage or injuries from the quake.

Landslides will continue to be a particular concern going forward due to the combination of recent rainstorms and the new rainfall from Gabrielle.

In late January, torrential rain hit the country and broke rainfall total records. As with Gabrielle, Auckland bore the brunt of the flooding in what Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called an "unprecedented event". The days of heavy rainfall prompted a state of emergency and killed at least four people.

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