Cyclone timeline a forensic-level dive

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

An independent third-party commissioned report highlights Tairāwhiti Civil Defence’s critical timeline as the organisation prepared, responded and flew into action when Cyclone Gabrielle hit the region.

Gabrielle came hard on the back of two adverse weather events, including Cyclone Hale and was devastating to both Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay.

The compilation of the event timeline, which runs from February 4 through to February 19, is a forensic-level dive into logs, records and data sources, presenting a clear run-sheet of how the regional readiness phase is rolled out.

Gisborne District Council chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann said it clearly showed everything that happened prior to the event.

“This timeline documents how Tairāwhiti Civil Defence proactively worked with and alongside our communities to prepare for Cyclone Gabrielle,” she says.

Ben Green, Tairāwhiti Emergency Management Group manager, said while there was a general appreciation of the physical impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle on the region, there was a lack of awareness of all the critical events and actions that took place within the regional Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC).

“The situation is dynamic with a myriad situations that evolve, and time is a rare commodity,” Mr Green said.

“This was a complex event on a large scale which is often difficult for affected groups and communities to comprehend on a regional, let alone national, level. This will give people a chance to put into perspective the scope and scale of the event.”

Mr Green said the report also highlighted the efforts of the emergency services, community groups and volunteers who were all ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help their people.

The timeline shows when the community were advised to evacuate, when Urban Search and Rescue staff were deployed, when people in the city needed to conserve water when the pipeline broke, and when various partner agencies undertook actions.

The report is available for the public to read.

To see the preparedness and response timeline, see the Road to Recovery page on the council’s website, www.gdc.govt.nz