Cyclone “Gabrielle”: two dead and thousands homeless in New Zealand Kiev urges more military aid – the nightly update without photos

Thousands of people in New Zealand have been left homeless by Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle. The Hawke’s Bay region of the North Island was the hardest hit. Military trucks brought about 9,000 people to safety there, Radio New Zealand reported on Wednesday. They will initially be housed in a sports center in the town of Hastings. At least two people were killed in the storm.

In some places, the bodies of water were so high that only the roofs of houses could be seen. The emergency services were deployed with numerous helicopters to rescue people who had fled to the roofs. More than 140,000 people were still without power, according to Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty. He spoke of a “massive, unprecedented weather event”.

Meanwhile, the British Princess Anne visited the Center for Crisis Management in the capital Wellington. “I admire the courage of the people of New Zealand at this troubling and difficult time,” she said afterwards. New Zealand is part of the Commonwealth. “My thoughts are with all New Zealanders whose homes or livelihoods were affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.”

The tropical storm had been moving across the Pacific state since Monday with gale-force winds and heavy rain. On Tuesday, the government declared a national emergency – for the third time in the country’s history.

The storm has caused great damage in the North Island in particular. Bridges had been blown away, roads were impassable. Some places were cut off from the outside world. In several places, schools will remain closed until the end of the week. On Wednesday, “Gabrielle” moved to the southern part of the North Island. The weather service MetService warned of heavy rain there. (sda/dpa)