Cyclone Gabrielle Update #1

12 February 2023

Fire crews are responding to a slow but steady stream of 111 calls for assistance as winds are strengthening from Northland to the Coromandel and beyond. Fire and Emergency has three communications centres across country, connected by a virtual network which means calls can be answered from anywhere when the workload increases in any particular region.

Gavin Travers, National Manager of the Communications Centres, says crews responded to 31 calls for help related to the weather between 6am and 4pm. Most were from Northland but in the last hour the number of calls from Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula have started to increase.

Most of the incidents are related to the winds, with fallen trees affecting property and roofs lifting. One of this morning’s calls was to help an owner secure his caravan from being blown over. There have been at least two calls in Auckland to help property owners when trees have fallen onto houses.

Fire and Emergency is reminding people to call 111 when life or personal safety is threatened. That includes when there is a fire, when people are trapped by floodwater, slips or fallen trees and when people need help to evacuate safely.