Residents of isolated areas after Hurricane Gabrielle, such as Hawke’s Bay (pictured), have been unable to contact loved ones due to power and communication outages caused by the damage.
Photo: Supplied / Chloe Hill
There are no more unreachable reports to follow from Cyclone Gabrielle, and everyone said they were taken care of.
Police said hundreds of staff across the country worked to contact and locate more than 6,000 people previously on the list, the vast majority from Hawke’s Bay and Tai Rāwhiti.
“We would like to thank the community for their patience while police went through the inaccessible list and investigated to ensure they were safe.”
Police said they also wanted to pass on their condolences to one of the relatives of those who died and were affected.
The number of victims of the cyclone rises to 11; nine of them were from the Eastern District and two from Waitematā.
However, Joseph Ahuriri, a resident of Gisborne, is still missing. He was reported missing at the time of the weather event, but police believed it was unrelated.
Joseph Ahuriri
Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Police
“We are still calling on anyone with information on Joseph’s whereabouts to contact police immediately,” police said in a statement.
“Joseph was last seen on CCTV the morning of February 14 in Havelock North, heading south. He was driving a white Toyota Hilux, registration DZH116.
“The police, with their whānau, want to know where he is and if he is safe.”
Anyone with information can contact police on 105 or via the website using ‘Update Report’ and quote case number 230225/2804.
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