Auckland braces for powerful storm
Residents in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland and the surrounding area were being told to brace for more heavy rain, flooding and gale-force winds, and some homes were being evacuated, as Cyclone Gabrielle nears the country's coast. Gabrielle, about 200 kilometres northeast of Auckland on Monday afternoon, was forecast to move close to the east coast over the next 24 hours. "We expect the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle to get, unfortunately, worse before they get better," said Rachel Kelleher, Deputy Controller Auckland Emergency Management.  "It's not the time to be complacent," she added. The cyclone is the second significant weather event to hit Auckland and the upper North Island in just a few weeks. Last month, Auckland and surrounding areas were hit by record rainfall that sparked floods and killed four people. New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Monday announced a NZ$11.5 million (US$7.25 million) package to support community groups such as food banks and to groups impacted by the floods. On Monday, many schools and local government facilities across Auckland and the upper North Island were closed and people were being asked not to travel if possible. States of emergency are in place in Auckland and at least six other regions. Around 50 apartments in Auckland have been evacuated because of fears a century-old steel framed tower could collapse. Further evacuations have been ordered at beachside communities on the east coast ahead of an expected storm surge in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Electricity was out for 46,000 homes, cell service was patchy in some areas and trees have come down and roofs lifted off. Public transport has been disrupted with ferries, buses and trains either suspended or operating on a reduced schedule. Air New Zealand has cancelled 509 flights and said flights will resume on Tuesday when the weather is expected to improve. Police said they were trying to locate a person who was onboard a boat near Great Barrier Island on Monday morning after responding to reports the boat was in distress. Metservice meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said overnight that Auckland and Great Barrier Island could see heavy rain and winds. "I think parts of Auckland that have not yet seen challenging wind conditions are expected to see gales overnight," she said. "Storm surge is still coming and might peak with the high tide at 2am for eastern parts of Auckland." (Reuters)