Cyclone Gabrielle brought widespread flooding and landslides to the northern part of New Zealand killing 3 people, displacing thousands, and leaving 225000 homes without electricity.
Entire towns were cut off, farms, bridges, and livestock, and inundated homes were washed away with stranded people on rooftops on Sunday.
Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty was thankful for passing through the worst of the storm but warned of the danger still ahead.
Affected areas are in for a long haul due to the significance of the disaster and it will take many weeks to recover, he warned.
Two people including a volunteer firefighter were killed by landslides while the third person’s body was found in Hawke’s bay area, the area which was badly affected by the storm.
Residents in the worst-hit areas were requested to conserve water and food due to fears of shortages.
More than 10,000 people have been displaced so far in the North Island where three-quarters of New Zealand’s population lives.
More than 300 people were rescued from the area on Tuesday, including 60 stranded on a single roof while 25 others waited to be reduced according to Kieran.
Local emergency management ordered further evacuations early on Wednesday due to the risks associated with Hawke bay rivers.
New Zealand declared a national emergency over the storm on Tuesday for the third time in its history.
Three People Killed In New Zealand Cyclone As Clean-Up Begins
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