New Zealand cyclone death toll climbs to five as military delivers aid

New Zealand cyclone death toll climbs to five with ‘grave concerns’ for 3,500 missing as military delivers aid to cities cut off by devastating floods

  • Military delivering aid to cities on North Island cut off by Cyclone Gabrielle 
  • Five people have died and 10,500 have been displaced, authorities said 
  • Read more: Huge 6.3 earthquake rocks New Zealand after devastating cyclone 

New Zealand redeployed gunships and helicopters to deliver essential supplies to marooned cities on Thursday. 

Overwhelmed rescue teams have eagerly embraced overseas offers of help in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Five people have died and more than 10,500 have been displaced, according to authorities, in a disaster that has crippled the country’s populous North Island.

Four days of violent winds and lashing rains caused landslides and widespread flooding that lacerated the island’s road network, caused rolling power cuts and knocked out hundreds of mobile phone towers.

Earthquakes on Wednesday added to the weather chaos felt by the country this week, as 70,000 people across both islands felt the ‘massive’ 6.3 magnitude tremor. 

New Zealand redeployed their military to deliver essential supplies to marooned cities on the upper North Island 

Flooding in the Hawkes Bay region after Cyclone Gabrielle. People were left stranded on rooftops due to the floods

Police said 3,500 people had been reported as ‘uncontactable’, as residents around the country tried desperately to reach loved ones. 

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the police held ‘grave concerns’ for those still missing.

‘We do need to be prepared for the likelihood there will be more fatalities,’ he warned.

Hipkins said 100,000 households were still without power on the North Island, home to more than three-quarters of the country’s five million residents.

On Thursday, the east-coast city of Napier was briefly cut off after experts detected damage to the last usable bridge linking its 65,000 residents with the rest of the country.

The national Transport Agency said the bridge had since reopened, but only for emergency services and critical workers.

Isolated residents have been told not to leave their homes unless ‘absolutely essential’ and to restrict water use.

When residents do venture out, they wade through murky floodwaters to get supplies or huddle on the steps of a few buildings that still have wifi, trying to let loved ones know they are safe.

Around the city, petrol stations have put up signs declaring there is ‘NO FUEL’ for anyone other than emergency services.

People wait for fuel at a gas station near Napier during a shortage as deliveries have been blocked by high waters and collapsed bridges 

Last month Aukland was hit with floods that killed four people. People stand at the collapsed Puketapu Bridge near Napier

A railway bridge that was washed away by severe flooding near Napier. The city was cut off by flooding, making it difficult for aid to get through 

An overturned car submerged in floodwater after being swept away by flooding near Napier in New Zealand 

Recovery efforts have begun of damaged vehicles but high waters have meant that fuel and other essential supplies have not been able to get through to people 

Earlier Hipkins warned New Zealanders of a long, gruelling recovery ahead, with power not expected to be restored to some areas for weeks and the clean-up likely to take much longer.

‘This is a traumatic event,’ he said. ‘It’s a very big challenge to restore infrastructure as fast as we can, but we have to acknowledge that we are in for a bumpy ride.’

‘There are no overnight fixes. We could have the bulldozers working 24/7 and it would still take time to re-establish road links.’

The New Zealand Defence Force has deployed two large naval vessels and a C-130 Hercules transport plane to deliver thousands of litres of water along with personnel and several mobile water treatment plants to hard-hit regions.

Hipkins warned New Zealanders of a long, gruelling recovery ahead, with power not expected to be restored to some areas for weeks

A commuter passes an area affected by flooding as New Zealanders try to get back to normal life 

NH90 helicopters have brought in supplies and rescued hundreds of people stranded on their rooftops. An abandoned car near Napier 

Resources for recovery are scarce and the city of Napier was briefly cut off after experts found damage to the final bridge linking it to the rest of the country 

NH90 helicopters have brought in supplies and rescued hundreds of people stranded on their rooftops.

After offers of help from the United States and other countries were initially set aside, Hipkins said emergency response experts from Australia would arrive in the coming days.

The cyclone itself has already faded into the South Pacific, but further downpours and severe thunderstorms complicated relief efforts and sparked new landslides.

The New Zealand Defence Force has deployed two large naval vessels and a C-130 Hercules transport plane to deliver thousands of litres of water on Thursday 

The east-coast city of Napier was briefly cut off after experts detected damage to the last usable bridge linking its 65,000 residents with the rest of the country

Residents have been warned to travel only if necessary and to limit their water usage while authorities work to restore road links  

Damage caused by the weather disaster will be in the billions, not the millions, the chief economist of Kiwibank said 

Authorities are still grappling with the scale of the devastation wrought by the storm, and estimates of the damage done and the cost of repairs are scarce.

‘We know it’s going to be in the region of billions, not millions, of dollars,’ Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr told AFP.

‘I think the figure will be in the range of several billion – five to 10 billion dollars (US$3-6 billion), possibly more.’

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