• Death toll of six is set to rise as full horror of Cyclone Gabrielle destruction is revealed
• Second firefighter has died, Fire and Emergency confirm
• 3544 people had been listed as uncontactable by police, 9000 people displaced from their homes in Hawke’s Bay
• Tens of thousands remain without power, Transpower warns power could be out for ‘days or weeks’
• If you have been unable to contact a friend or family member - or if you have fled the storm and want others to know you are safe - you can post a message here on the NZ Herald’s community noticeboard.

The firefighter rescued from a collapsed house in a Muriwai landslide has died in hospital.

Craig Stevens was taken to hospital in a critical condition late on Monday night.

“We are still coming to terms with the news that Craig, our second firefighter caught in the Muriwai landslide, has died in hospital,” Fire and Emergency NZ chief executive Kerry Gregory said tonight.

“All of Fire and Emergency will feel his loss, and my heart goes out to his family.”

His colleague, Dave van Zwanenberg, was also killed. His widow, Amy van Zwanenberg, said her family is utterly devastated by the sudden loss of her extraordinary husband.

She called him “the cornerstone of our lives”.

The Herald understands the two volunteer firefighters were trying to dig a trench behind the woman’s Motutara Rd, Muriwai home on Monday night to divert water after being called to the property due to flooding.

As the pair worked, a giant slab of the hillside above them gave way - inundating the property with a mountain of sodden mud and debris.

New Zealanders need to brace themselves for Cyclone Gabrielle’s death toll to rise further, says Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. His grim warning came early today as 3544 people have been classified by police as “uncontactable” and as staggering new photographs reveal the destruction caused by the cyclone.

The death toll climbs to six. While the number of uncontactable people will reduce dramatically, Hipkins said there were still people for whom police had “grave concerns” and “we need to be prepared for the likelihood of future fatalities.”

In other developments:

• About 4400 lightning strikes have been recorded across the North Island on Thursday but a severe thunderstorm watch was in place for cyclone-hit regions - including Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne - has now been lifted;
• Some residents in Piha are celebrating the restoration of power on Thursday evening - four days after the devastating impacts on them and Muriwai on Auckland’s west coast. The widow of the volunteer firefighter who died in a landslip at Muriwai has spoken of her “extraordinary” husband and “cornerstone of our lives’;
• In Napier, desperate residents have been queuing for petrol, cash and gas as the city faces up to two weeks without power. Emergency services and people with an essential need to travel now have a second link for travel between Napier and Hastings. The SH2 Napier-Hastings Expressway has reopened from the roundabout at the intersection of Pakowhai Rd and the Whakatu Arterial Link, north to Napier. Both north and southbound lanes will be opened;
• Grim new photographs reveal the extent of destruction in Hawke’s Bay’s Esk Valley, where homes and vehicles have been destroyed, crops ruined and at least one person, a young child, has died;
• There is reportedly some cell connectivity restored in central Gisborne.

 Cyclone Gabrielle Esk Valley Houses on Shaw Road Hawkes Bay Today photograph by Warren Buckland 16 February 2023

 

STORY CONTINUES AFTER LIVE BLOG:

STORY CONTINUES:

Severe thunderstorm watch

There have been about 4000 lightning strikes in some storm-affected regions this afternoon and a severe thunderstorm watch is in place until 10pm for regions already reeling from the cyclone, including Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne. Severe thunderstorms are moving northeast and a severe thunderstom watch remains in force for Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupō, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, MetService says.

The thunderstorms are expected around Rotorua, Waiotapu, Waikite Valley, Waireka and Guthrie and near Rotorua, Waiotapu, Waikite Valley, Lake Tarawera, Waireka and Guthrie. “A few of the thunderstorms could be severe about Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, eastern Taupō, the ranges of Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, and Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay, with localised downpours of 25 to 40mm per hour and hail,” MetService said.

“Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips. Driving conditions will also be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain.”

In good news, the link between Napier and Hastings is now again open - but only to emergency services and critical workers. The safety of Waitangi Bridge on SH51 was assessed and the road between Napier and Hastings will reopen for emergency services and workers critical to the response effort. The road had to close earlier today ahead of a safety assessment by engineers. The road will be under temporary speed limits and is reduced to a single lane. He said contractors were “working at pace” to clear debris on the second state highway link, the SH2 Napier-Hastings Expressway.

State Highway 35 near Gisbone has been washed away. Photo / George Heard

Long queues for gas, petrol in Napier

In Napier, hundreds of desperate, isolated and power-less residents queued for hours and around street blocks to access gas and petrol, as more bad weather threatens cyclone-hit regions.

A large line of people queued to have their gas bottles filled at a Caltex station on Hyderabad Rd. The queue of cars for petrol stretched through roundabouts and intersections. Road cones were in place to manage the queue. There were also long queues at ATM machines.

Gary James lined up to fill his gas bottle for an hour. ”People just need to be a bit more prepared, I wasn’t. Here I am standing in a queue for gas bottles. I know that the freezer has got a lot of stuff for me to start cooking up if we don’t get the power back very soon.”

James, who has a BBQ for cooking and a gas burner to boil water, said he would eventually have to throw out food in the freezer. ”There’s going to be a lot of waste.”

Napier residents have been told they face no power for up to two weeks. More evacuations are under way in the flood-hit suburb of Taradale, and there are still dozens of people unaccounted for as more bad weather threatens cyclone-struck regions.

Long queues are forming at a Napier service station as residents desperately seek gas and petrol while the city remains power-less. Photo / Georgina Campbell

Cars line up at a Napier petrol station, as residents face up to two weeks without power. Photo / Georgina Campbell

The official death toll from Cyclone Gabrielle stands at five - three in Hawke’s Bay, one in Gisborne and volunteer firefighter Dave van Zwanenberg, who died at Muriwai helping evacuate residents on Monday night. Widow Amy van Zwanenberg today spoke of her “extraordinary husband”, remembering him for his “good humour, his authentic care, his astronomic intelligence and supreme competence at pretty much anything he turned his hand to”.

She said her husband was the “cornerstone of our lives” and her family was “utterly devastated” by his death. “First and foremost, a family man, Dave was dedicated to spending quality time with his children and building a life to nurture their growth. We decided that Muriwai and its beautiful community was the perfect place for this. Monday night started out as just another occasion where Dave made sure we were settled and safe at home and headed out to join the fire brigade and help his community.” Read widow Amy van Zwanenberg’s full tribute here.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins - speaking from Gisborne - acknowledged today it was a “lonely and isolating” time for those cut off by the cyclone’s aftermath. He said restoring infrastructure was a “very big challenge” and acknowledged the strain and stress could go on for some time. There was no instant fix, he said.

It was “almost certainly” time to rethink parts of the road network, he said. “We have to get real about some of the roads and the fact we are going to have to move some of the roads to where they are more resilient.”

There are thunderstorm warnings for part of Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne and heavy rain forecast for Auckland, where officials say 16,000 homes remain without power. Forty-six properties in Tāmaki Makaurau have been red-stickered and 101 have been yellow-stickered this week after Cyclone Gabrielle - that’s on top of the more than 250 properties red-stickered and more than 800 yellow-stickered after the January floods.

Meanwhile, police have slammed looters who had targeted flood-hit Gisborne businesses overnight. Eastern police district commander Superintendent Jeanette Park said there were a number of commercial burglaries overnight with five people arrested. Extra officers were being flown in today.

 

Evacuations in Napier

More evacuations have taken place in the flood-hit Napier suburb of Taradale and in central Hawkes Bay’s Drumpeel Rd, with authorities urging people to leave their homes immediately.

The Central Hawke’s Bay District Council issued the directive just after 9.30am for all residents in the area to seek refuge at the local municipal theatre. Parts of Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne still remain cut off as the death toll from the storm rises to five with fears of others dead in raging floodwaters.

The latest emergency comes as a severe thunderstorm threat looms for the flood-hit east coast and Hawke’s Bay this afternoon. Napier - cut off from the rest of Hawke’s Bay on Monday night - was briefly reconnected this morning but that road has been closed again for bridge assessment. There are reports there was “cracking” on the bridge before it closed.

A large Puketapu group taking shelter in a handful of surviving homes were being flown out by private helicopter just hours after sending a message that they were running low on fresh water and food.

Auckland-based relative Kat Wakerley said her sister’s family was among those who had been left with nothing after racing to the closest hill when floodwaters inundated their Swamp Rd 30 Degrees subdivision on Tuesday morning.

With bridges destroyed in the flood and possession wrecked there was no way out except by air. “Unable to get out. 50 people trapped in our subdivision and we need water and food and baby supplies dropped. Please call Civil Defence on our behalves.”

Just after 10am she received a message to say that the group had been rescued and flown to Bridge Pa by private helicopter. The remaining trapped families were now being flown to safety.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for the ranges of Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, in Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay, and parts of Bay of Plenty between 3pm and 10pm today. MetService is warning a few of the thunderstorms could be severe with localised downpours of 25 to 40mm per hour and hail.

In the latest cyclone casualty Police are investigating a death of a person in Gisborne who they believe was caught in floodwaters - with “grave” fears the death toll will rise.

Gisborne’s Mayor Rehette Stoltz said she is “devastated” by the death and that the whole community is reeling.

About 500 people evacuated from Te Karaka - a small settlement inland from Gisborne - were stuck on top of a hill for 27 hours, not knowing whether or not help was on the way. “We watched our town basically get drowned,” one heartbroken resident said.

The full extent of the destruction - from the east coast regions of Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne to Auckland’s west coast beach settlements of Muriwai and Piha - is starting to dawn. Thousands of people are out of their homes, more than 1400 people remain ”uncontactable” on a missing-person database, and new images reveal wrecked roads and bridges, properties, and infrastructure. Nearly 150,000 people were still without power across the North Island yesterday - and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council said this morning that Napier should expect to be without electricity for the next two weeks.

Widow’s tribute to hero Muriwai firefighter

“First and foremost, a family man, Dave was dedicated to spending quality time with his children and building a life to nurture their growth,” said Amy van Zwanenberg.

Dave van Zwananberg died in a landslide while evacuating residents in Muriwai during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Supplied

“We decided that Muriwai and its beautiful community was the perfect place for this.”Monday night started out as just another occasion where Dave made sure we were settled and safe at home and headed out to join the fire brigade and help his community. Reliability and dependability were his core values, whatever the weather,” she said.

She said her late husband was blessed with the unique abilities, so few possess, to not only survive but thrive in extreme environments and circumstances, performing complex tasks and caring for others calmly under pressure.He used this multifaceted skill set in his profession as a veterinarian, where so many have benefited from his care and in his personal pursuits as a pilot, kite surfer and ultra-marathon runner. But he also loved a good book on the deck.

“Dave will be remembered for his good humour, his authentic care, his astronomic intelligence and supreme competence at pretty much anything he turned his hand too!”

Amy said she visited the site where her husband died yesterday and spoke with those who were there on the night

“Yesterday I was able to see the search site and speak to some of those who had been involved in his rescue and recovery.It grew a new depth to my gratitude for the courageous crews who had continued to search for my husband under absolutely atrocious conditions and threats to their own safety.”It was palpable that they had been searching for one of their own, and they devoted themselves to that impossible task with the fervour one does for their own family.

“She said she was deeply grateful to Urban Search and Rescue, the NZ Police and all the fire and emergency crews involved, but especially to Dave’s brigade, who had been so deeply affected by the tragedy.

In her first statement since her husband’s death she said she wanted to publicly thank friends who had immediately come to her little family’s aid and supported them, caring for us emotionally and practically and “wrapping us in love through this horrendous time”.

“You give me the strength to continue to be the Mum I need to be, to help Dave’s beautiful children thrive despite this pain, and to be the legacy that he would be most proud of.”

Latest from Auckland’s emergency officials

More heavy rain is forecast for Auckland this afternoon as officials say 16,000 homes remain without power.

Forty-six properties have been red-stickered and 101 have been yellow stickered this week

Since the flooding event in late January there had been more than 5000 rapid building assessments done in the city and a total of 317 homes being red stickered and more than 1000 being yellow stickered.

Cyclone Gabrielle State Highway 2 SH@ Napier to Wairoa, bridge and forestry slash / logs from New Zealand Defence Force NH90 helicopter 15 February 2023 picture supplied credit: NZDF

Three victims have so far been confirmed in Hawke’s Bay - a child in Eskdale, a woman in northern Hawke’s Bay and a person in Bay View - and one, a volunteer firefighter, in Muriwai, west of Auckland. Police say 1442 people remain “uncontactable” - while they expect this number to drop dramatically, they have “grave concerns” for at least several of them in the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne regions.

A woman is still missing in Hawke’s Bay after the Eskdale property she was housesitting was suddenly inundated by floodwaters early on Tuesday morning, RNZ reported.

Community fears are also growing of multiple deaths in one of the areas hardest hit by Cyclone Gabrielle, with coastal residents of Napier’s Bay View claiming they saw several bodies washed away by raging flood waters. As search crews in Hawke’s Bay continue to try and get to people stranded by the floodwaters created by Cyclone Gabrielle, residents of Bay View and nearby Esk Valley – which had areas decimated and parts of it remaining underwater – spoke of their fears of more fatalities.

Hundreds of eastern region residents have been rescued from rooftops and waters since floods inundated the region, cutting off roads, bridges, and isolating communities.

Twelve helicopters are still working to rescue people and it was expected the rescues would all be completed today, Emergency Response Minister Kieran McAnulty said at a briefing on Wednesday

Cyclone Gabrielle has ripped through Hawke's Bay, destroying livelihoods and costing lives. Photo / Paul Taylor

“Everyone knows we have a long path ahead of us ... this is a significant disaster and it’s going to take many weeks for those areas affected to recover,” McAnulty said.

Entire regions have been isolated with zero contact, people still remain uncontactable. Essentials like water, food and fuel are in short supply in many places.

The situation has been described as “dire” by officials, with a fuel limit of $40 imposed by the Gisborne District Council.

More than 9000 people have left their homes around Hawke’s Bay, with 3000 of them staying in Civil Defense facilities.

Evacuations from Venables Ave in Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor

Police help with evacuations at Venables Ave in Maraenui, Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor

State Highway 2 Napier to Wairoa has been destroyed by Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Supplied

Energy Minister Megan Woods said there were still 60,000 households in Hawke’s Bay without power, but recent access to the flooded Redcliffe substation could help that.

The residences in Wairoa are submerged and the area has been completely cut off, according to aerial photos supplied by Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence. Authorities are working frantically to establish communication and transportation routes with the community because there are fears that supplies would only last for one more day in the town.

About half of the town’s 8000 residents live in the 10-15 per cent of the town submerged by the river when its banks broke in Wairoa.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little has told social media followers they were in a bad way up in Wairoa with hundreds of people evacuated.

Wairoa has been inundated by flooding. Photo / Supplied

Aerial photographs reveal the extent of damage in storm-ravaged Wairoa. Photo / Hawke's Bay Civil Defence

Commander of Joint Forces, New Zealand Rear Admiral Jim Gilmore told NZME said they had three helicopters “standing by” around Napier, ready to transport food and water to those stranded and unable to get supplies themselves.

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said some supermarkets in the ravaged Tairāwhiti region could reopen after power cuts forced their closure across the region.

Water levels in the city’s reservoirs continue to drop as demand exceeds supply and Tairāwhiti Civil Defence Group Controller Ben Green said water use must be reduced.

“If we do not cut our water demand as a community then our taps will run dry,” Green said.

A bridge over the Hikuwai River between Tolaga Bay and Tokomaru Bay was taken out during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Supplied

Along the pipeline that delivers water to the city, numerous breaks have been found. Crews are travelling to the location, but it is difficult to get there. Green said it will take a few more days for the backup Waipaoa supply to start functioning.

There is some significant damage on SH35, including Hikuwai No 1 bridge, as can be seen in the images. There are slips all along SH35 as well.

Flooding in Eskdale, Napier, due to Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Supplied

Incredible pictures of people being rescued from their rooftops in Esk Valley, close to Napier, have been posted by the Defence Force. The local homes and properties were completely underwater. According to the Defence Force, victims were rescued from their homes using three NH90 helicopters.

Napier mayor Kirstin Wise said the latest information they’d received from Transpower was that electricity was “likely to be a number of days away.

Meanwhile, communications were “incredibly patchy” and Wise said the primary source of information is the radio.

The Redclyffe Bridge between Waiohiki and Taradale in Napier was brought down. Photo / Paul Taylor