Sydney (Australia), 20 Feb. Some 2,200 people remain incommunicado in New Zealand a week after Cyclone Gabrielle hit the North Island, killing 11 people, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Monday.
New Zealand authorities are busy trying to contact these people, while emergency services are working to restore full electricity to some 15,000 homes and repair internet and telephone connections.
Hipkins told a Wellington press conference today that police have been able to contact 4,260 people, of the 6,517 who have remained incommunicado, and are safe.
The death toll so far stands at 11 – including a girl and two volunteer firefighters – although authorities warn it could rise as they access, due to receding waters, the isolated areas affected by Gabrielle, particularly in the Hawke’s Bay area. .
The deployed teams are also continuing with clean-up, repair and reconstruction tasks after this serious disaster, which the authorities of the Pacific country associate with the climate crisis.
The New Zealand government today announced a NZ$250 million (US$156 million or €146 million) road infrastructure repair fund and another NZ$50 million (31 million US dollars or 29 million euros) for aid to affected companies and workers in the primary sector.
“The devastation this has caused some farmers to lose all their crops is matched only by other producers who yearn to get their goods to market. Transport links are key to being able to do this,” he said. said Finance Minister Grant Robertson.
According to New Zealand public broadcaster TVNZ, many farmers have been forced to throw away thousands of liters of milk due to the inability to sell their produce due to road damage.
Cyclone Gabrielle made landfall on the North Island on February 12, although it was later downgraded from a category 2 cyclone (out of a maximum of 5) to a strong tropical storm, and last Tuesday the government New Zealand has declared a national emergency in many areas. affected, including Auckland, the country’s most populous city. EFE
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