New Zealand declared a national emergency on Tuesday for the third time in its history. Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread flooding, landslides and massive tidal waves.
“It’s been a bad night for New Zealanders across the country, but especially in the upper North Island… Chris Hipkins said on Tuesday.
It is still too early to say how many people have been displaced or injured. No deaths have been confirmed.
Authorities have evacuated coastal areas and continue to urge people to evacuate their homes due to the threat of further flooding. Many roads were flooded or destroyed, cell phone networks were disrupted, and some cities were cut off from the outside world.
Cyclone Gabrielle is currently about 100 kilometers east of Auckland and the cyclone is expected to continue in an east-south-east direction parallel to the coast.
New Zealand last declared a national emergency over an earthquake in 2011 and during the corona pandemic in 2020.