The confirmed death toll from the cyclone stands at nine, including seven people in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne and two firefighters who died in a landslip in Muriwai.
Police are currently investigating another death in Hawke’s Bay. A body was found this morning and police said they believed the person “died in circumstances related to Cyclone Gabrielle”.
Emergency services hold “grave fears” for others, according to NEMA acting emergency management director Roger Ball, who has spoken to a media conference on the cyclone aftermath and response.
Speaking at the conference, police deputy commissioner Glenn Dunbier addressed rumours that more bodies, including those of a family of four found dead in a car, had been recovered by police but not reported to the public.
“Those rumors have come and gone over the last few days. We have to deal with the facts and sometimes it takes a bit longer. And I can appreciate that can be frustrating. And over this operation we’ve had many rumours put to us that have turned out not to be true including about [the family of four],” Dunbier said.
As of yesterday, police have received 4928 reports of uncontactable people, over half of whom are in the eastern area of the country. Meanwhile 895 people have registered as safe.
Officials are in the process of reconciling those numbers.
On the relief effort, Ball said Civil Defence had “received concerning reports of some people being aggressive and threatening to those delivering and restocking essential supplies”.
“I do understand the stress that many of you will be going through but it’s absolutely essential that the people delivering supplies are able to do their job without anybody hassling them. Otherwise, it’s going to take far longer to get everything restocked,” he said.
He asked the public to donate money to relief funds rather than goods for cyclone relief.
Donating physical goods, “while extremely generous” is not the most effective way to help, he said.
“Often these donations don’t match exactly what communities need, resulting in an oversupply and lack of capacity to manage this. This is the feedback we’re getting overwhelmingly from those on the ground.”
Meanwhile a number of areas in Tairāwhiti will receive relief missions by helicopter today and BP Wairoa is set to receive a petrol delivery today now that the road in has reopened.
Cell phone coverage is now 90% in Hawke’s Bay, 80% in Northland and 30% in Gisborne, with Gisborne coverage expected to improve this weekend, Ball said.
Water treatment is now operational in Gisborne, and a mobile water treatment unit has also been received.
