New Zealand is in a state of emergency following Hurricane Gabriel

With our Wellington correspondent, Richard Tendler

In the midst of the Australian summer, New Zealanders will remember this disastrous season for a long time. Arriving overnight from Sunday through Monday, Hurricane Gabriel, a Category 3 hurricane, devastated at least seven areas across the North Island.

Blackouts

More than 200,000 people are currently without electricity. Cuts that may last for weeks, according to the authorities.

This morning, in the Napier region east of the North Island, people are taking shelter on their rooftops to protect themselves from these flash floods. Residents who found themselves trapped on their rooftops for hours on end. With winds of up to 130 km / h, the helicopters could not evacuate these people.

As with floods, potential landslides raise many concerns. Many people were locked in their homes after these landslides. Always the fireman

closed roads

In total, more than 200 routes across the North are still closed or flooded, leaving regions like the Coromandel completely isolated.

If the eye of Hurricane Gabriel now moves out of New Zealand, severe weather and strong winds are expected to come Areas already affected by these new floods.