New Zealand resident prepares for Storm Gabriel
2023.02.10 04:17
New Zealand resident prepares for Storm Gabriel
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – Cyclone Gabrielle brought heavy rain and gales over the weekend to Norfolk Island in Australia and New Zealand. Authorities also warned of dangerous surf conditions and strong winds along Australia’s east coast.
On Friday, the tropical cyclone was upgraded by Australia’s weather bureau to a category 3 storm, with winds of 118-159 kilometers per hour and 140 mph gusts.
Jonathan Howe, a forecaster for the Australia Bureau of Meteorology, stated to ABC television, “It is looking like making a direct hit at Norfolk Island.” The tropical cyclone’s center may pass directly over Norfolk Island.
Norfolk Island is an Australian territory located 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) east of Sydney in the Pacific Ocean, between New Caledonia and New Zealand. It is just over 34 square kilometers (13 square miles) in size.
George Plant, the island’s emergency management controller, told ABC that the island’s roughly 2,200 residents, many of whom are descended from British sailors who mutinied on the HMS Bounty in the 18th century, have begun to fuel emergency power generators and tie down loose outdoor equipment and objects.
He declared, “This is probably the worst one we’ve seen in a long time.”
Although some of Australia’s eastern coastal areas may experience large waves and strong winds, the mainland will not be significantly affected.
Two weeks after the country’s largest city was battered by historic levels of rain that killed four people and caused widespread flooding, the upper North Island regions of New Zealand, including Auckland, are preparing for additional severe weather.
According to New Zealand MetService forecaster David Miller, “the ground will be sodden and very wet” and “the combination of strong winds” will increase the likelihood of trees falling.
Authorities warned that power outages could affect automated cash machines and urged residents to prepare three-day-worth of supplies, food, and water in bags. From Sunday through Tuesday, Gabrielle is likely to have an impact on the North Island of New Zealand.