- Wellington has declared a national emergency for only the third time in its history.
- The reason for this is the cyclone “Gabrielle”, which triggered widespread flooding, landslides and huge tidal waves.
- Authorities have evacuated coastal areas and are urging people to evacuate their homes due to the threat of further flooding.
Streets are flooded or washed away, mobile phone networks are down and some cities are cut off from the outside world. “It was a bad night for New Zealanders across the country,” said Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.
The situation is particularly dangerous in the upper part of the North Island: “Many families have been displaced, many houses are without electricity, and there has been major damage throughout the country,” said the Prime Minister, who has been in office since the end of January.
The Minister for Emergency Management described the storm as “an unprecedented weather event” and a “significant disaster”. The government warned of a “real threat to the lives of New Zealanders”.
For this reason, a national emergency was declared. It gives the central government more powers to deal with crises. The measure had previously been taken because of the 2020 corona pandemic and after the Christchurch earthquake in February 2011.
Cyclone Gabrielle is currently roughly east of Auckland and the cyclone is expected to continue in an east-southeast direction parallel to the coast. It is currently too early to provide information on the number of people displaced or injured. To date, no deaths have been confirmed.