Cars drive through flooded roads in the northern New Zealand city of Whangarei on February 12, 2023, ahead of the arrival of Storm Gabrielle.
Auckland – About 46,000 New Zealand households are without power today after the rain and wind from Cyclone Gabrielle battered the northern part of the island nation. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, many schools and offices were closed. Although the cyclone itself has yet to make landfall, strong winds are already uprooting trees and downing power poles, BBC News reported.
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The cancellation of more than 500 flights affected approximately 10,000 foreign passengers. Normal flight services are due to resume from Tuesday.
Cyclone Gabrielle comes just two weeks after record rainfall in and around New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, caused widespread flooding that killed four people. “Extreme weather follows an extreme climate event,” New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said today.
Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty said at a press conference today that the government is considering declaring a national state of emergency. If she did so, it would be only the third time in the country's history.
Five areas in the north of the state, including Auckland, have already declared a state of emergency. Thanks to this, local authorities have more powers and can, among other things, declare restrictions on the movement of people or start providing assistance.
According to the New Zealand Meteorological Office, 100.5 millimeters of rain fell in the city of Whangarei, north of Auckland, in the last 12 hours.
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Today will be a “critical day” due to a highly dangerous combination of strong winds and rain, according to McAnulty. Northland in the North Island experienced winds of up to 140 kilometers per hour, while a bridge in Auckland Harbor was rocked by gusts of 110 kilometers per hour.
