Cyclone Gabrielle: A week after the storm hit New Zealand’s North Island, thousands of people are still missing, and the death toll has risen to 11. On February 12, the cyclone made landfall in the uppermost region of the North Island and tracked down the east coast. Gabrielle has been described as New Zealand’s worst natural disaster this century by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.
Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc and caused human suffering in New Zealand. A live-stream video of workers trapped by flooding in Hawke’s Bay using refrigerators and mattresses to navigate the floods is going viral on the internet, according to the BBC.
People are seen floating on empty refrigerators and mattresses in the video. The 37-minute video has gone viral.
New Zealand is dealing with the fallout from Cyclone Gabrielle, which hit the country on Monday. On Tuesday, the government declared a national state of emergency in response to the cyclone, which caused widespread flooding and landslides.
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Only the third national state of emergency has been declared in New Zealand’s history.
“This is without a doubt the worst natural disaster we’ve seen in this century,” Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said.
Hundreds of mobile phone masts were damaged by the storm, and Mr Hipkins believes that many of the thousands of uncontactable people will be found alive and well. He did, however, warn that people should “brace themselves” for more fatalities.
It is also estimated that 10,000 people have been displaced.
According to Stuff, a New Zealand-based news website, the workers were airlifted from the rooftop of their workplace in Fernhill, a Queenstown suburb.
According to AFP, approximately 10,000 people have been displaced, cities and towns continue to be without power and drinking water, and local government officials estimate that tens or even hundreds of communities have yet to be contacted.
On Friday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins visited the Hawke’s Bay region, saying that “the whole country” was concerned about the communities affected.
