The New Zealand government declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, February 14, across the archipelago, hit by a violent storm which deprived tens of thousands of homes of electricity and caused floods and landslides. . This “unprecedented weather event”according to the authorities, resulted in the night from Monday to Tuesday by strong winds and abundant rainfall on the North Island.
“The damage is considerable across the country”Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said at a press conference in Auckland. “Many families have been displaced, many homes are without electricity”, he added. Houses were damaged by falling trees or invaded by mud and rubbish. Some inhabitants thus found themselves totally isolated, the roads being cut following landslides or floods. According to local media, people were forced to swim from their homes in order to find safety.
Cyclone Gabrielle, which crossed the South Pacific, was downgraded to storm status as it approached New Zealand on Sunday. This storm brought gusts of wind up to 140 km/h, an accumulation of precipitation of up to 20 cm in twenty-four hours and waves of 11 meters. Mr. Hipkins felt he was still “too early to tell” how many people have been evacuated from their homes and are without electricity or telephone coverage.
“Unprecedented bad weather”
“These are unprecedented bad weather which have a huge impact” in the north of the country, said Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty, with “large-scale flooding, landslides, damaged roads and other infrastructure”.
“This is a major disaster [qui représente] a real threat to the lives of New Zealanders”, warned Mr. McAnulty, adding that a national state of emergency was declared for seven days. He said further rains and strong winds were expected on Tuesday, complicating relief operations. ” THE [informations] that reached us last night are very worryingMr. McAnulty told reporters. Emergency services are working day and night, but unstable soils, flood waters and closed roads complicate matters. »
New Zealand Fire and Rescue Services said one firefighter is missing and another is in critical condition after a house collapsed in West Auckland. The storm grounded planes on Monday, and Air New Zealand said travel for some 10,000 international customers was disrupted. The airline announced the resumption of some flights on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr. Hipkins pledged aid of 11.5 million New Zealand dollars (6.8 million euros) to help with the repairs. Auckland, the country’s largest city with 1.6 million people, is barely recovering from flash floods that killed four people in late January and forced thousands from their homes.