Cyclone Gabrielle

vendredi 17 février 2023

Kia ora, everyone.

If you are a Crystal Ball person, you may have noticed Ian Hart posting that I was incommunicado, however, power came back on a few hours ago. Not sure for how long but it seems to be holding at present so I thought I'd give you an update.

Basically on Monday night (NZ time throughout) Cyclone Gabrielle swept through NZ. Initially it was expected to hit the Far North and Auckland, already reeling from an earlier storm; but it swung around, clipping them nastily, then hit hardest in Tairawhiti and Hawke's Bay - the East Coast of the North Island. If you've ever read my location note you will have seen that I live in Napier, which is one of the twin cities in HB.

At 7.30 am on Tuesday, the Tutaekuri River breached its banks and the To view the link you have to Register or Login over a metre high. All power to Napier was lost. All bridges to the south were flooded too. In addition, the Esk River valley to the north had an even more severe flash flood. At present, there are nine deaths and 4500 people unaccounted for. One death was a toddler literally swept away from her mother. (To view the link you have to Register or Login.)

At my place, we have had neither power nor water but I did have a gas BBQ for cooking. Our neighbours have let us use their water, which was still flowing (they are blow the mains but we are above it - gravity is a harsh mistress). Without water, we could not flush but we have been using a bucket from the swimming pool to make the medicine go down. Cell phone coverage has been intermittent - my wife got a civil defense emergency evacuation notice literally six hours after I did (she's on a different network.) Fortunately, we weren't in the evacuation area. Until yesterday, I had no data coverage at all but I got a bit when I went into work so was able to contact Ian Hart - thanks Ian for your aroha. (Not so smug about England cricket now though are you? See saw game, as I expected.)

The current state is that one bridge south is open for essential travel, another is open for emergency vehicles only (ambulances, police, armed forces) the other two are damaged and being assessed - they may or may not reopen. There is no access north - all roads are down due to slips and substantial tree-fall/slash. Search and rescue helicopters are thundering over day and night, still trying to find people cut off. Cellphone coverage is back up but poor. Ok for messaging and text pages but can't handle much more. However, with power back up at my house, I have full net now. That makes me one of the lucky ones. To view the link you have to Register or Login I am in Bluff Hill, in the north east, so I am one of the very lucky ones with power, which came back on for us overnight (It's now 11.10 am on Saturday). FWIW I work in Tamatea (E).

Best wishes to any other Palace fans caught in this event. I hope you are doing fine.

And COYP - swat those Bees for me!


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