Cyclone Gabrielle: at least 4 dead, hundreds rescued in NZ

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Murihiku
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15 Feb 2023, 5:07 am

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64645510

Quote:
New Zealand officials say at least four people, including a child, have died in the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle, which has caused significant flooding and landslides across the North Island.

On Wednesday, officials confirmed a child's body was found in Hawke's Bay, one of the worst-affected regions.

Rescue helicopters there had rescued about 300 people stranded on rooftops.

The cyclone has moved away from New Zealand but about 10,500 people were still displaced on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday evening said there were also "several people missing for whom the police do hold grave concerns."

Meanwhile, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake was widely felt across the country late on Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the quake, which struck off the coast of the North Island near the capital Wellington.

While the rain has ceased in most parts, many remote towns and areas remain cut off by high floodwaters and a lack of power.

New Zealand's prime minister Chris Hipkins has called Gabrielle the biggest weather event to hit the country in the past century. It's estimated to affect at least a third of the country's five million population.

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_________________
It is easy to go down into Hell;
Night and day, the gates of dark Death stand wide;
But to climb back again, to retrace one's steps to the upper air –
There's the rub, the task.


– Virgil, The Aeneid (Book VI)


Murihiku
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17 Feb 2023, 1:08 am

Update: Cyclone Gabrielle has now passed NZ, but the damage has been devastating:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/484 ... toll-rises

At least 8 people are now confirmed to have died and the death toll is expected to rise. More than 60,000 people are still without electricity at this time, over 10,000 people have been displaced, and more than 4,500 people are still unable to be contacted.

The NZ government have declared a national state of emergency. The Defence Force are assisting with disaster relief, and disaster specialists have arrived from Australia to help as well.


_________________
It is easy to go down into Hell;
Night and day, the gates of dark Death stand wide;
But to climb back again, to retrace one's steps to the upper air –
There's the rub, the task.


– Virgil, The Aeneid (Book VI)