A powerful earthquake hit near New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, on February 13th. It occurred as the country was still reeling from the effects of Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle, which killed five individuals.
The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 6.1, happened at around 8 pm and was felt in the country’s capital according to the GeoNet monitoring agency. There were no reports of injuries or damage as of now.
Here are the latest updates on the two natural calamities that stuck in New Zealand lately.
On Sunday, Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle hit the country’s North Island. Before it moved down the coast, it cut off entire towns and washed away bridges and livestock.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins declared a national state of emergency on Tuesday due to continuous rain and flooding. The PM called the damage caused something that the country has not experienced in a generation!
According to local media reports, some people had to swim to safety as the water inside their homes got too high. Others had to wait on their rooftops for help.
PM Hipkins on Wednesday said, the people who were stranded on their roofs were rescued, but the storm and its aftermath had taken a heavy toll on the people of the region. He noted that about 9,000 people had been forced to relocate. Three thousand of them were staying in emergency shelters. Police say 1,442 people are officially unaccounted-for.
The Ford Trophy final, which was scheduled to take place on Sunday, has been postponed due to the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle on the players of the Central Districts team, New Zealand’s central cricket body informed.
Meanwhile, Air New Zealand resumed its services to various airports on Wednesday after over 300 cancelled services. Some of these include those in the regions affected by the storm, such as New Plymouth, Gisborne, and Napier.
Earthquake in New Zealand and its impact so far
On Wednesday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 hits near Wellington. It was centred about 50 kilometres away from Paraparaumu. According to a government seismic monitor, Geonet, the epicentre of the earthquake was at a depth of 48 kilometres. Several people witnessed a strong shaking that lasted some seconds. However, there were no immediate reports of damage or any casualty, and no tsunami warning was issued.
Although there were no immediate reports of major damage caused by the earthquake, authorities were still focused on areas that were severely hit by the storm and its aftermath. Emergency services were still working in the Hawkes Bay region.
In response to the natural disaster, the New Zealand Defense Force deployed several planes and helicopters to help with the recovery efforts. They also deployed naval vessels to provide water and other supplies to remote communities such as Gisborne, Wairoa and Napier as bridges and roads are considered unsafe now.