Cyclone Tam slams North Island, thousands without power, roads flooded

Cyclone Tam is causing major problems across the North Island of New Zealand, resulting in thousands of people without power, roads flooded, and all ferries in Auckland cancelled. Flights have also been delayed or stopped, leaving many travellers stuck before the Easter weekend.

A truck was found overturned near Kaiwaka, a Northland settlement. The rescue team had to pull out several drivers from their cars. Strong winds have ripped off roofs and knocked over trees and fences, too.

A scary moment happened in Mairangi Bay, Auckland, where a big tree fell on a house where an elderly couple lives. The tree damaged their balcony and blocked them inside. Their daughter said the tree just missed their bedroom.


In another part of Auckland, a loud bang surprised a man when the wind knocked over his fence. Many homes have been damaged, and trees have fallen on houses and cars. People are being told to stay home if they can and avoid driving unless it’s necessary.

Northland MP Grant McCallum said the storm damage in Paihia is very serious and keeps happening every time there’s bad weather. He said something needs to be done to protect the area, especially because so many people there rely on tourism.

More than 150 emergency calls have been made since Wednesday night (April 16), and firefighters are working hard to respond to all the damage from the wind and rain

Northpower, an electricity distribution company based in Whangārei, New Zealand, said about 20,000 people lost power at the peak of the storm. Crews have fixed some areas, but around 12,000 people still have no electricity. In places with the worst damage, it could take up to three days to get the power back on.

The weather is expected to stay bad for the rest of the day as strong wind warnings are in place for Auckland and Northland. Heavy rain is also hitting the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, and Tasman regions. Some areas are expected to get more than 200mm of rain.

The transport agency has crews ready to clear blocked drains and clean up fallen trees, and people are being told to drive carefully or stay off the roads if they can.

Ex-tropical Cyclone Tam started earlier this week and has brought strong winds and heavy rain to the North Island. It’s being called the worst storm since 2017.