Cyclone Gabriel: Emergency declared in New Zealand

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Wellington : The New Zealand government declared a national emergency on Tuesday following flooding and destruction from Cyclone Gabrielle in the northern part of the country. One firefighter was missing after being caught in a landslide overnight near the country’s biggest city Auckland, local media said, while another was rescued with serious injuries.

Auckland was hit by a severe storm two weeks ago, in which four people died. The country’s Minister for Emergency Management, Kieran McAnulty, explained that the declaration of a national emergency would enable the government to provide additional resources and help to affected areas. Heavy rains lashed the country overnight, forcing people to leave their homes and flooding more than 60,000 homes, blocking roads and power cuts.

“This is a natural disaster with a very real threat to the lives of New Zealanders,” McAnulty told reporters in the capital, Wellington. The declaration of emergency will also apply to the six territories that have already declared a local state of emergency, namely Northland, Auckland, Tairawiti, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Hawke’s Bay.

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