Four days of violent winds and lashing rains has led to landslides and widespread flooding in New Zealand's North Island, lacerating road network, snapping power and knocking out hundreds of mobile phone towers
New Zealand declared a national state of emergency for only the third time in its history on Tuesday as Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread flooding in the country’s north, landslides and huge ocean swells, forcing evacuations and stranding people on roof tops.
Gabrielle is 100 km (60 miles) east of Auckland, near the east coast of the country's North Island and is expected to move east-southeast, roughly parallel to the coast.