Cyclone Gabrielle: Thousands still unaccounted for in Hawke's Bay as recovery ongoing for region

Monday, 20 February 2023

Eleven people are dead following the cyclone and police say they are working through thousands of reports of missing or 'uncontactable' people on the North Island's east coast.

Power is still out across the Eastern District and with thousands still unaccounted for, food and power are the main concerns for residents of Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne following last week’s extreme Cyclone Gabrielle.

Thousands of people in Hawke’s Bay are still unaccounted for, with Police urging those who have not yet reported themselves as safe to do so as soon as possible via the NZ Police online form.

Power is still out in 28,000 homes and businesses across the eastern districts. In Hawke’s Bay, Civil Defence is urging people to make sure their cooking appliances are turned off. Ovens, stovetops, and other appliances that were running when the power cut off could turn back on and create a power hazard.

A rāhui has been placed on parts of Hawke’s Bay, with authorities urging people to go to community centres for food instead of gathering kaimoana due to fears of human remains washed out to sea by the flooding.

* Cyclone Gabrielle: Fears mount for the missing as rescue attempts continue

Many in Gisborne and Hawke’s bay are still unaccounted for and without power following Cyclone Gabrielle.

* Air NZ cuts airfares in and out of Gisborne and Napier after Cyclone Gabrielle

Wairoa remains in urgent need of assistance, with fuel needed for the small town of 800 residents.

Mana Ahuriri Trust Hawke’s Bay general manager Parris Greening said, with residents in the area desperate for food, locals had been heading out to sea in search of kaimoana.

'We have no power. People's gas bottles are running out … People are desperate for kai.'

The rāhui, which places a ban on fishing and kaimoana gathering, will remain in place for 10 days.

Eleven people have been named as killed by Cyclone Gabrielle, with father of rugby league star George Luke, farmer John Coates, and mother-of-three Shona Wilson included amongst them. With 3215 people still unaccounted for in the Eastern District, the death toll is expected to still rise over the oncoming days.

Residents are advised to avoid flooded areas where they were at risk of being swept away. Clothes, hands, and property should be washed after making contact with floodwaters, and people are advised not to walk, swim, or make contact with water if possible.

The National Feed Coordination Service has been supporting farmers by connecting them with feed for their lifestock.

“Widespread flooding and winds from Cyclone Gabrielle have damaged pastures and crops, or swept away bales of feed,” Federated Farmers chief executive Terry Copeland said.

“It is a tough time for many farmers, especially those in Northland, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, and this is a practical way to provide support.

In affected areas, antisocial behaviour has been noted, with police arresting 42 people in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti for looting and other offending.

Flood traffic workers have reported having firearms pointed at them, and cars have been reported as driving straight through closures.

Ryan Lawson, who runs East Coast Traffic, told Newsroom journalists his staff were facing daily abuse, with a pistol and a sawn-off shotgun pointed at two workers while they were setting up temporary traffic management.

“Honestly for us it was a very, very scary moment and that crew just had to up and leave.”

Wairoa, a small town of 8000 that was cut off by last week’s flooding, remains a particular focus for relief assistance, with urgent need for fuel.

Stuff’s fundraising campaign has reached $3 million in just four days.