Cyclone Gabrielle: New Zealand issues national emergency, people forced to swim to safety

For the third time in its history, New Zealand issued a National State of Emergency on Febraury 14 as Cyclone Gabrielle pounded the North Island with wind and rain, cutting electricity to tens of thousands of homes.

The New Zealand Meteorological Service reported wind gusts of over 140 kilometres per hour (87 miles per hour) along the coast and waves that were almost 11 metres (36 feet) high off the Bay of Islands.

The full scope of the catastrophe, according to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, only became apparent as the nation woke on Tuesday (February 14).

“With an event of the size and the scale that we have seen in the last 24 hours, what we have to do is make sure that we’re dealing with the most pressing needs across the country as quickly as we can,” he told reporters on February 14.

This cyclone is the second significant weather event to recently affect Auckland and the upper North Island. Four people were killed by floods and unprecedented rainfall that pounded Auckland and the neighbouring areas last month.

This most recent tragedy, which is caused by a weather system off the country's north and is travelling south and east along the coast, has caused the third national state of emergency after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and the Covid epidemic in 2020.

It needs mention here that 150 members of the New Zealand Defense Force joined forces overnight to help with the distribution of supplies and the evacuation of locals from regions where rising water forced some householders onto their rooftops. 

Tens of thousands of people lack electricity, and some locations have spotty mobile connections, making it challenging to organize services and get in touch with those who are left stranded.