Fermanagh woman caught in New Zealand cyclone describes its impact

New Zealand is in a state of emergency after the worst cyclone to hit the country this century devastated large parts of North Island last month.

Victoria McKechnie, originally from Enniskillen, lives in the northern regions of Auckland in North Island.

“It was very wet – heavier rain than I’ve ever experienced in Ireland, and extremely windy, with trees and branches coming down all over the place,” said Victoria.

“It was scary at times. We were told by Civil Defence to prepare well, including having enough food and water for at least three days. We made sure we had plenty of gas for the barbecue, and camping gear as well.

“As it turns out, we did need it, as we lost power. We also lost mobile phone networks, meaning we couldn’t contact anyone. People went back to door-knocking to check on their neighbours.

“I was worried mum would freak if she had no contact from me!”

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Victoria said Kiwis of all generations said they had never experienced anything like this in their lifetime, and the last cyclone that did some damage was Cyclone Bola in 1988, and all those who remembered that said Cyclone Gabrielle was far worse.

Where Victoria lived was completely cut off, due to road slippages which made the road impassable.

“The main State Highway One goes through this region to service Northland, and south to Auckland city – both ways were blocked, and the secondary routes also became blocked, meaning we were completely cut off.

“Some friends had to have supplies helicoptered in and out to them as they could not go anywhere.”

Other parts of Auckland saw massive slippages of houses down the side of hills because of the cyclone, which followed heavy flooding a few week prior, known as the Auckland Floods.

While Victoria lives on the west coast of North Island, she said the east coast was worse hit.

She spoke of another Enniskillen native, Joan Penny, whose husband’s family had to be rescued from their homes in Taradale, not far from Napier.

And three weeks on, the clean-up still continues. At least 11 people have died, more are missing, and thousands have been displaced.

Victoria said some roads have re-opened and most people in her region have power back. However, more heavy rain last week caused more flooding and road closures.

In the east, Victoria said regions are still cut off: “Some communities are still completely cut off, with no mobile phone networks or power, but one of the biggest issues that will take the longest to clean up is the silt that has been left – covering houses, cars, vineyards, etc.

“The government says it could take years to sort this.

“People throughout the North Island are feeling very rattled and overwhelmed by what has happened, and the ongoing effects and levels of anxiety are very high at the moment,” she added.