On full cyclone alert a year ago today

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

Opinion

A year ago today, a Friday, our front page screamed the warning that Cyclone Gabrielle was tracking our way and set to dump intense rain on the entire district from Sunday through to Tuesday, bringing with it strong wind and a large swell. The page was dominated by a graphic of the cyclone’s projected position next Tuesday morning, barrelling into the East Coast, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay.

Roger Handford first reported on a tropical cyclone developing in the Coral Sea off north-eastern Australia, “which could pose a threat to New Zealand and the Gisborne-East Coast region”, on Tuesday that week.

The next day he reported that MetService had raised a warning flag for a cyclone expected to bring severe weather to the North Island from Sunday onwards — with all weather agencies on the Pacific expecting the tropical low labelled Invest 99P to develop into a tropical cyclone.

On the Thursday we reported that Tairāwhiti Civil Defence was asking people in isolated areas to stock up on food and medical supplies.

“Cyclones can change track and it isn’t yet clear how much rain will arrive and where it will fall. However, with our region still very fragile following ex-tropical Cyclone Hale last month our focus is our community in isolated areas who are at high risk and vulnerable to being cut off.”

Civil Defence was speaking to Community Links up the Coast, where preparations included deploying staff and communication links.

Overnight the most likely path of Gabrielle over the Pacific changed, shifting further east in an ominous development for our already storm-battered region. Late Friday morning, MetService issued a Severe Weather Watch for the Gisborne region, Hawke’s Bay and the Coromandel, predicting rainfall of 200-400mm or more.

Inside Friday’s paper we reported that Tairāwhiti Civil Defence was telling campers along the East Coast to pack up and leave as swells of up to six metres were predicted. People in areas prone to flooding were advised to have a grab bag ready, and everyone was encouraged to clear blocked drains. Contractors were also checking drains and putting out sandbags in spots in the city prone to surface flooding. The unsealed road network would be closed to heavy vehicles from 6pm on Sunday. Boats at anchor in the bay would be asked to leave from Monday night until midday Wednesday due to the swell and wind.

The national news pages on that Friday also had lots of coverage about the looming storm, including advice from the National Emergency Management Agency “Get Ready” website on how to prepare.

“Forewarned is forearmed” was the title of the day’s editorial, recapping the situation and important advice.