Cyclone Gabrielle by the numbers – A review at six months

Author:

Nick Wilson, Adele Broadbent, John Kerr

Source:

Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa, PHCC

Publication date:

2023

Topics:

Environment ,People

Summary

Cyclone Gabrielle caused significant damage across northern and eastern regions of the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) in February 2023. It joined the list of NZ’s mass fatality events with 11 people losing their lives. The cost to the country is estimated to be up to $14.5 billion.

The large scale of this disaster would have justified an official national inquiry into the impact and response. But given this has not occurred, this Briefing summarises ‘by the numbers’ what is known about this disaster after six months. Our impression remains that NZ has a low level of resilience to this type of hazard event.

While we welcome the current government consultation on enhancing the resilience of NZ’s critical infrastructure, much more work is needed. In particular, both central and local government need to invest far more into making all infrastructure resilient to the impact of intensifying climate disruption.

There has been no national inquiry into the Cyclone Gabrielle disaster despite its major human well-being and economic impacts. Although there has been an inquiry into slash and land use review of the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence response, central government has not committed to a full examination of the Cyclone’s impact. This matters. Without a detailed examination of the ‘big picture', we cannot appropriately prepare for the next extreme weather event caused by climate disruption.

In this Briefing we aim to provide at least a brief overview of this major disaster by identifying key quantifiable impacts. We collate key statistics from media reports, government statements, Official Information Act Requests, and data provided by private companies. ...

Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa, PHCC, August 2023.

Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa

Cyclone Gabrielle by the numbers – A review at six months