New Zealand: No electricity in 46,000 homes following Cyclone Gabrielle

Cyclone Gabrielle has knocked out electricity to around 46,000 residences in the north of New Zealand.

Authorities have issued severe rain and wind warnings, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled.

As Gabrielle approaches the North Island, a state of emergency has been proclaimed in certain districts.

It follows weeks of record rains in Auckland and adjacent areas that caused flooding and claimed the lives of four people.

“Extreme weather event followed extreme weather event,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, announcing a NZ$11.5m (£6m; US$7.3m) assistance package.

Things are likely to worse before they improve.

On Monday, Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty informed the media that the government is considering declaring a national state of emergency for only the third time in the nation’s history.

Five regions in the north, including Auckland, have already declared a state of emergency. The declaration provides local authorities with expanded authority to respond to dangerous situations, allowing them to restrict movement and provide relief.

Metservice, New Zealand’s meteorological department, said that Whangarei, a city north of Auckland, received 100.5 millimetres (4 inches) of precipitation over the past 12 hours.

Mr. McAnulty noted that Monday would be “crucial” owing to the “very dangerous” mix of strong winds and heavy rain. The Northland region was buffeted by winds of up to 140 km/h (87 mph), while the Auckland Harbour Bridge was shaken by gusts of 110 km/h.

As a result of the inclement weather, he cautioned that it could take days to repair the electrical grid.

Metservice stated in its most recent update on Monday that Gabrielle will still bring “significant heavy rain and potentially damaging winds.” Earlier, meteorologists had downgraded Gabrielle’s intensity, but the storm will still bring “significant heavy rain and potentially damaging winds,” according to Metservice.

Despite the fact that the hurricane has not yet made landfall, it has already brought down trees, damaged roads, and brought down power lines.

Many schools and local government buildings are closed across Auckland and the North Island, and people are urged not to travel if at all possible.

Meanwhile, the cancellation of 509 Air New Zealand flights affected around 10,000 overseas passengers.

Normal services are anticipated to resume on Tuesday, with 11 additional domestic flights added to the national carrier’s schedule to assist with recovery operations.