As Cyclone Gabrielle, the country’s most devastating storm in decades, continues to wreak havoc, authorities in New Zealand have set up two temporary morgues to cope with the growing number of fatalities. The death toll has risen to eight, with a second volunteer firefighter, Craig Stevens, succumbing to his injuries after being caught in a landslide near Auckland earlier in the week. A body was found near Napier on Friday morning, police confirmed.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who toured the Hawke’s Bay region on Friday, described the situation as exceptionally challenging, saying, “There are some people who are in a very, very fragile state. I just ask people to keep going, you know, we will get through this. We will come out the other side of it.” The storm has brought widespread destruction, cutting off entire towns, washing away farms, bridges, and livestock, and inundating homes, stranding people on rooftops.
Ten thousand people have been displaced, and by Thursday afternoon, 3,455 people had been registered by police as “uncontactable”, although some of these may be multiple reports for the same person. Temporary morgues have been set up in Napier and Hastings as part of standard practice, to manage any fatalities with care and respect, and in accordance with coronial processes.
The Prime Minister has urged people not to speculate about the death toll or injuries, saying, “It’s no good to anybody speculating about how many people may have been injured or how many people may have died in this tragedy. We will certainly share that information as soon as we can, but I have heard some outlandish claims out there at the moment that there is no evidence to support.” Communication and access to many areas remain difficult, with surveillance flights and convoys of trucks carrying essential items like food, water, medicine, and fuel making their way into remote areas.
Cyclone Gabrielle AftermathAmong those affected by the storm is two-year-old Ivy, who was swept away by the water and drowned. Her mother, Ella Louise Collins, recounted the tragic events in a Facebook post, describing the “sudden torrent of water” that almost drowned them all and took Ivy away. The family of four tried to escape to the safety of a neighbor’s roof but were thwarted by the rapidly rising water.
As rescue efforts continue, authorities are prioritizing those in isolated areas, with helicopters and boats being used to check on people in affected communities. Urban search and rescue team leader Ken Cooper praised one man who walked 70km from Putorino to Napier to help rescue workers with their missions, saying, “That’s a day-and-a-half walk. He walked to give us a list of people still trapped up the east coast.”