Cyclone Gabrielle : New Zealand

Cyclone Gabrielle : New Zealand

Cyclone Gabrielle hit the New Zealand coast and caused severe damage. After Three Dead, New Zealand declares state of emergency

• At least three people have died and about a third of the country’s population of five million live in affected areas.
• On Wednesday, the cyclone weakened and moved away from the North Island. But many people remain displaced.
• Some were forced to swim from their homes to safety after rivers burst their banks.
• Others have been rescued from rooftops.
• About a quarter of a million people are without power.
• Falling trees have smashed houses, and landslides have carried others away and blocked roads.
• The storm’s damage has been most extensive in coastal communities on the far north and east coast of the North Island – with areas like Hawke’s Bay, Coromandel and Northland among the worst hit.