The New Zealand government declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after Cyclone Gabrielle hit the north of the country in what authorities described as the worst weather event to hit the country in years.
One firefighter was missing and another was rescued with serious injuries after they were trapped in a landslide overnight near the country’s largest city, Auckland, according to authorities.
Auckland suffered a record storm two weeks ago that left four dead.
The national emergency declaration allowed the government to support affected regions and provide additional resources, the government said. It is only the third national emergency declared in the country’s history.
The country received heavy rain overnight forcing the evacuation of 2,500 people and causing widespread flooding and road closures, including the main thoroughfare between Auckland and the capital Wellington. The rains also left isolated populations without telecommunications.
The weather improved Tuesday as the storm moved southeast over the ocean away from New Zealand, a nation of 5 million people.
But 225,000 homes and businesses were still without power and evacuations continued, according to emergency services.
The power grid had not suffered so much damage since 1988, when Cyclone Bola became one of the most destructive storms to hit New Zealand, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said.
Hipkins said that it was not yet possible to estimate the destruction of Gabrielle in comparison to Cyclone Bola.
“Certainly the reports we’ve had are that this has been the most extreme weather event we’ve experienced in a long time,” Hipkins told reporters in Wellington. “In time we will know how it compares to Cyclone Bola.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called to offer his country’s support and assistance, Hipkins said. The Australian government also said New Zealand’s near-neighbor was ready to provide support where needed, Hipkins added.
The national emergency declaration included six regions where local emergencies had already been declared: Auckland, Northland, Tairawhiti, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Hawke’s Bay.
A weather station in the Napier and Hawke’s Bay region recorded three times more rain in one night than it usually falls in the entire month of February, MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said.
Hipkins noted that the army was already on the ground in the hardest-hit areas in the north of the North Island, helping with evacuations and maintaining deliveries of essential supplies.
“I want to acknowledge the situation that New Zealanders have found themselves in this morning,” Hipkins told reporters. “Many displaced families. Many houses without electricity. Extensive damage across the country.”
“It will take us a while to determine exactly what has happened, and in due course, to help with the cleanup when we get to that point,” he added.
Domestic and international flights resumed Tuesday afternoon at Auckland airport, although delays and complications were expected over the next few days, the president warned.
