People left without power in New Zealand as the country was lashed by a tropical storm called ‘Gabrielle’

As a tropical storm named ‘Gabrielle’ pounded New Zealand’s north on Monday, thousands of people were left in the dark and aircrafts were grounded.

Kieran McAnulty, minister of emergency management, described the day as ‘critical’ due to a ‘very dangerous’ confluence of heavy rain and strong winds.

The storm was no longer a cyclone, yet it nevertheless uprooted trees, knocked down power lines, and damaged roadways.

The government issued an emergency declaration in five northern regions including Auckland. On New Zealand’s North Island, there are about 58,000 people without electricity. Power restoration may take days, according to the authorities.

‘As long as the weather continues to be as severe as it is, it’s actually unsafe to work on the network,’ stated McAnulty.

The largest city of New Zealand, which is home to 1.6 million people, is still on the path of recovery after four died in flash floods last month and thousands were forced to leave their homes.