Cyclone Gabriel kills four in New Zealand and displaces more than 10,500

In the column Hurricane Gabriel In the North Island New Zealand It left at least four people dead and more than 10,500 people displaced, according to data released by the maritime nation’s authorities this Wednesday, as rescue and aid efforts continue for people affected by the disaster.

Emergency Management Minister, Kieran McAnultyIn a press conference held today Wellington Three people died Hawk BayOn the east coast of the North Island and one of the most affected by natural disasters.

McAnulty confirmed that a body, which has not yet been identified, has been found in a home Monday, believed to be that of a volunteer firefighter trapped inside. Auckland After the landslide.

“The thing that affected me the most, to be honest, was the volunteer firefighter who was trapped. It was an absolute tragedy,” he said.

The minister further indicated that around 10,500 people have been displaced from their homes, including 9,000 residents of Hawke’s Bay.

As of this Wednesday, emergency services, with the help of about 250 New Zealand soldiers, have saved hundreds of people, including some. 300 people were evacuated by plane At an operational complex they took shelter on rooftops to escape the flood.

In its wake, Gabriel has left a trail of destruction to the infrastructure of the country’s most populous North Island, leaving tens of thousands of people without power and damaging roads and communications.

This will force Princess Anne’s sister to reschedule her official tour King Charles IIICame to New Zealand with her husband.

The country’s regions and districts declared a national emergency the previous day Auckland, Northland, Taierwiti, Bay of Plenty Region, Pitiki, Wakadne, Waikato, Thames-Coromandel, Hauraki, Tararua, Napier and HastingsAnd maximum response level to emergency activated.

Gabriel – which abruptly changed course over the weekend and avoided passing through the Australian-administered Norfolk Islands – made landfall in the North Island last Sunday, although it was immediately downgraded from a Category 2 hurricane (at maximum 5). A tropical storm.

Gabriel is moving south off the coast of New Zealand today, although the country is not yet “out of the woods”, McAnulty stressed.