New Zealand Faces Difficult Decisions in the Aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle
Satellite image of Cyclone Gabrielle hitting New Zealand on Feb. 14. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory
New Zealand declared its third-ever state of emergency on Feb. 14, as it was hit by the worst storm of the century. The unprecedented natural disaster left 11 dead and 9,000 people displaced as it battered the northern regions of the country.
With winds reaching up to 140 km per hour and waves as high as 11 meters, Cyclone Gabrielle blasted through the regions of Northland, Auckland, Tai Rāwhiti, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Hawke's Bay, and Tararua. It left highways impassable as well as railroad, air, and sea travel impossible due to landslides, debris, and flooding. Between the difficulty of physically reaching many communities and the power to 225,000 people being cut off, at least 5,000 people were uncontactable at the peak of the storm. However, by Thursday, Feb. 23, all 56 had been contacted.
This unparalleled storm comes just two weeks after the region was flooded by historic rain. With some regions receiving up to 260 mm of rain in just one day, New Zealand recorded the wettest day in history there. This excessive rain also induced flooding of major cities in the northern regions and caused four deaths.
With two natural disasters less than two months into 2023, experts have various explanations. Normal weather patterns like the La Nina year and a low level yet feeding tropical moisture to the storm caused part of the damage, while climate change– including the ocean warming and the past three winters being the warmest (2020, 2021, 2022) in history– is attributed to the rest. The increasing air and ocean temperature both lead to a higher moisture saturation in air, as air holds 7 percent more moisture per 1 degree celsius rise, which in turn leads to wetter and more severe storms.
With this information, New Zealand climate change minister, James Shaw, is calling for action on the global climate crisis. In a speech made to the New Zealand parliament on Feb. 14, Shaw stated he was disappointed in “the lost decades that we spent bickering and arguing about whether climate change was real or not, whether it was caused by humans or not, whether it was bad or not, whether we should do something about it or not, because it is clearly here now, and if we do not act, it will get worse.”
The wreckage of a house in New Zealand due to mudslides, flooding, and debris. Photo: David Rowland/AAP Images/Reuters
The cost of this climate-change-exacerbated storm is expected to be at least $1 billion in reparations, according to the New Zealand Finance Minister, something that will bring strain to an already inflated economy. Many of New Zealand’s industries were directly affected by the storm, including farming, which may cause the price of food to inflate even more. The government has promised $250 million in aid to fix roads and infrastructure with another $50 million going to people and businesses impacted, but that is only to address emergent issues, and more aid will be given in later weeks of restoration.
However, that is just the beginning of rebuilding, and many are questioning whether reconstructing areas that may be destroyed soon as intense weather becomes more common is a good idea. Multiple of the regions impacted the most by Cyclone Gabrielle are floodplains and erosion-prone coastlines, and in the face of climate change, keeping communities there may not be sustainable. Stating that the destruction around the country is in part due to a lack of crucial climate change-resistant infrastructure, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins promised to invest to create adaptable and resilient infrastructure in preparation for future climate crises.
According to Shaw, it is also time for New Zealanders to reevaluate where they build cities in the face of more extreme weather in the future. The government needs to consider whether asking people to leave their homes and relocate to safer areas is the right action.
This wouldn’t be the first time the New Zealand government asked people to move, they bought out lands and converted them into public parks after the Christchurch earthquake in 2011. With the damage already sustained from Cyclone Gabrielle and weeks ahead of reconstruction, it might be the best time to pack up and leave a destroyed home now rather than stay and face the possibility of a much worse storm in the future.
As the people in New Zealand repair their lives after the devastating storm, they, and everyone worldwide, need to ask tough questions on how to proceed and prepare for the normalcy of extreme weather.