Sydney, Feb. 19 (BNA): The death toll from Hurricane Gabriel in New Zealand rose to 11 on Sunday, while thousands of people remained missing, a week after the storm swept the country’s North Island.
The cyclone struck the northern region of the island on February 12 and tracked the eastern coast, causing widespread damage. Prime Minister Chris Hepkins Gabriel called New Zealand the biggest natural disaster of this century.
On Sunday, police said two more people died in badly damaged Hawke’s Bay in circumstances related to the hurricane.
More deaths are likely, Hipkins told reporters in the capital, Wellington, as 6,431 people are still missing, while 3,216 are reported safe, according to Reuters.
He said that lives were “turned upside down” by the disaster and that recovery was a “steep mountain ahead”, citing the disruption of communications, the lack of fresh water and damaged roads that still restrict access to some areas.
He said supply chains have been disrupted, causing problems with the transportation of goods, many crops have been destroyed, and 28,000 homes are still without electricity.
“The true scale of the destruction and loss becomes clearer with each passing day,” the prime minister said.
A team from Fiji will leave for New Zealand in the coming days to help with recovery, Hipkins said, one of 12 offers of international aid received so far. Twenty-seven emergency workers from Australia are assisting in the relief effort.
Recovery efforts continued on Sunday, with teams from Auckland Council conducting rapid assessments of damaged home buildings in coastal areas of Muriwai and Peha, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) west of Auckland, the country’s largest city.
Emergency authorities and the military have been dropping vital supplies via helicopter to communities stranded since the hurricane, which swept away farms, bridges, livestock and flooded homes.
Police sent an additional 100 officers to nearby Hawke’s Bay and Terahiti, including isolated areas, amid reports of looting.
“The police work to maintain law and order,” Hipkins said.
HF