New Zealand declared a national state of emergency Tuesday as Cyclone Gabrielle swept away roads, inundated homes and left more than 100,000 people without power.
High winds and heavy rain lashed the country’s populous North Island, in what officials called an “unprecedented weather event.”
“It’s been a big night for New Zealanders. A lot of families are displaced, a lot of homes are without power,” Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told reporters in Auckland. “There has been extensive damage across the country.”
