Norfolk Island issues red alert as Cyclone Gabrielle approaches

A red alert warning was issued on Norfolk Island with residents urged to take shelter in the strongest part of their homes as Cyclone Gabrielle approached with wind gusts up to 155km/h and dangerous surf conditions.

Emergency Management Norfolk Island urged residents to stay inside until an all-clear message is broadcast. An emergency shelter was established in a town hall for those who could not make it home safely.

“If the cyclone centre passes over the island this evening, destructive winds may ease for a short period of time. Beware of this and do not go outside. Destructive winds are then likely to redevelop from the opposite direction,” said the latest warning to residents.

The cyclone was downgraded to a category-two storm but authorities on the island, which is home to about 2,200 permanent residents and hundreds of visitors, believed significant damage would still occur.

The island’s administrator, Eric Hutchinson, said power outages, downed trees and extensive damage to houses were expected on Saturday evening when the impact of the storm was expected to be greatest.

“It has been downgraded to a category two, so that is a blessing. But based on prior experiences, the last time a cyclone hit Norfolk Island of this strength was in the mid-1990s and there was damage at that time,” Hutchinson told the ABC on Saturday morning.

“We are well prepared and we have just got to see this through and then we will look at what resources are going to be needed in a recovery phase from tomorrow.”

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast gale-force winds for the next 24 hours with heavy rainfall expected as the tropical cyclone approaches the island. Conditions will ease on Sunday afternoon.

“People will need to take great care and, if they have not already battened down the hatches, then hopefully it is not too late for them,” the meteorologist Helen Reid said.

“We can expect those winds to be quite significant during the next 24 hours and to continue into tomorrow. Abnormally high tides, in conjunction with very heavy surf, will make conditions difficult on the coastline of the island as well.”

The Norfolk Island emergency management controller, George Plant, said the community was looking after visitors who were not used to such extreme weather.

“Long-term residents are fairly used to preparing for storms like this, but visitors and people who have come to the island recently probably find this to be a bit of a challenge to them,” Plant told the ABC.

Hutchinson said authorities had been working hard to ensure everyone was prepared and knows what to do when the worst of the storm hits.

“All businesses have been made aware of what we are expecting them to do in respect of supporting their guests at their facilities. That is probably for me the biggest risk,” Hutchinson said.

Gabrielle was also expected to bring heavy rain to New Zealand’s north island, which has already been hit by historic levels of rain and deadly flooding in recent weeks.

The MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffith said the Auckland region was “pretty vulnerable” given many communities were still rebuilding after damaging floods.

“At this stage we won’t know which regions of Auckland are most likely to see the most significant rain rates or the heaviest rain until around Sunday,” Griffith said on Saturday afternoon.

“But be prepared for reasonable levels of rainfall [including] 200 to 300mm of rainfall for North Auckland and 100 to 200mm of rainfall elsewhere.”

Auckland Emergency Management’s deputy controller, Rachel Kelleher, urged people to start storm-proofing their homes now.

“We are working with the council and our other partner agencies to ensure we are as prepared as possible for what’s to come,” Kelleher said.

“Please help us to ensure kerbs, inlets and stormwater drains are clear of leaves and debris; and if you’ve already had flood-damaged items collected from your kerbside, please do not put any more out.”