Tropical Storm Gabrielle: Tens of thousands of homes in New Zealand without power

A violent tropical storm is raging in northern New Zealand. A state of emergency has been declared in five regions – tens of thousands of households are without electricity. And the worst could be yet to come, fears the civil defense.

Just a few weeks after the devastating floods in New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, the region was again hit by severe storms: Tropical cyclone “Gabrielle” swept across the North Island with heavy rain and strong winds. The first foothills had already reached the Pacific state on Sunday.

The power went out in tens of thousands of homes. Around 58,000 households on New Zealand’s North Island were affected by the blackout, the authorities said. Restoring power could take days because work on the power grid is unsafe during the storm, Disaster Relief Secretary Kieran McAnulty said.

Air New Zealand canceled 500 flights

The storm also disrupted air, train and bus services. Air New Zealand says it has canceled more than 500 flights. 10,000 international travelers were also affected. Air traffic is expected to return to normal on Tuesday

Although the storm was not as cyclonic as initially feared, it knocked down trees, damaged roads and destroyed power lines. A state of emergency has been declared in five regions in the north, including Auckland. There and in other cities, most schools remain closed. In towns like Whangarei in the Northland region and on the Coromandel Peninsula, residents have been urged to stay safe.

Gusts of up to 160 kilometers per hour

Disaster Relief Secretary McAnulty spoke of a “very dangerous” combination of strong winds and heavy rain. “We still have the worst ahead of us,” said Roger Bell of New Zealand’s civil defense. In some cases, gusts of up to 160 kilometers per hour have already been measured, the meteorological service MetService tweeted. “Gabrielle” should also reach parts of the South Island during the day.

“We still have a few days of wild weather ahead of us,” said MetService expert Angus Hines. There have never been so many severe weather warnings of the highest level in such a short time. More flooding, power outages and road closures are expected through Tuesday.

Four people died in January

Auckland and its 1.6 million people are still battling the aftermath of January’s heavy rains. Four people died as a result of the severe flooding and thousands had to leave their homes. At the time, eyewitnesses spoke of the worst flooding they had ever experienced.