Cyclone Gabrielle’s rebuilding costs are comparable to the Christchurch earthquake – NZ

• Rebuilding from Cyclone Gabrielle will cost billions of dollars.
• Gabrielle caused significant flooding on the North Island.
• Roads that were damaged by Gabrielle remain closed.

New Zealand has estimated that rebuilding from Cyclone Gabrielle will cost billions of dollars, comparable to the Christchurch earthquake 12 years ago.

In mid-February, Gabrielle caused significant flooding on the North Island, damaging roads and bridges.

So far, at least 11 individuals have perished, while thousands remain uncontactable.

“It’s going to be the biggest weather event this century, with a billion-dollar price tag,” Finance Minister Grant Robertson said.

Mr. Robertson said on TVNZ over the weekend that the government will prioritize survivors’ most pressing needs, which included food, housing, electricity, and communication.

“We have a long journey ahead of us to rebuild after this disaster, but we have the resources to do it, and we have the will to do it,” Mr Robertson said.

Farmers lost entire harvests and herds as a result of the floods, and authorities are still deciding how much of it will be reimbursed by insurance, according to the minister in charge of reconstruction efforts.

On Monday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced an additional NZ$250 million (£129.6 million) to repair damaged roads, as well as a NZ$50 million (£25.9 million) support package to provide immediate help to companies.

New Zealand paid NZ$13 billion ($8.1 billion; £6.7 billion) to rebuild after a major earthquake in the South Island in 2011 destroyed much of the city center, killing 185 people and displacing others.

Mr. Robertson blamed the amount of the devastation wrought by Gabrielle on New Zealand’s failure to construct infrastructure that’s resilient to climate change, adding that the existing approach to adapt “has not been sufficiently robust”.

‘Huge gap’

He noted that even tens of billions of dollars in extra infrastructure spending over the next five years will not be enough to close the gaps. “The gap is so huge that we won’t be able to make it up in the long run,” he said.

Mr. Hipkins also stated that the state of national emergency declared in response to Gabrielle will be extended for seven days. Northland, Auckland, Tai Rwhiti, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Hawke’s Bay, and Tararua are all included.

This is just the third occasion in New Zealand’s history that a national emergency declaration has been made to expedite rescue and relief efforts; the last time was in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake.

Mr. Hipkins stated that more than 6,500 people were uncontactable following the cyclone, but that officials understood that approximately 4,200 of them were safe.

According to the Prime Minister, approximately 15,000 people in the North Island are still without power. Almost 70% of those live in Napier and the neighboring areas.

Gabrielle struck a few weeks after heavy rains flooded the capital Auckland, also on the North Island. That deluge paralysed the city’s airport, photos of which went viral on social media.

Many of the roads that were damaged by Gabrielle remain closed. According to Reuters, tanker trucks are unable to gather milk, some logging has been halted, and meat processing has been reduced.

The cyclone also caused problems with picking in apple and pear fields, whose annual harvest is worth NZ$1 billion. Many of these sites continue to be inaccessible.

Agricultural damage might drive up food costs, adding to inflation, which is already at a near three-decade high of 7.2%.

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