Fierce Winds Leave Numerous Homes In the Dark in New Zealand
Intense gales hitting velocities of up to 155km/h (96mph) have resulted in nearly 90,000 households experiencing outages and led officials to halt in excess of 100 air travel services, as reported by domestic outlets.
The gales are impacting the whole South Island and southern parts of the North Island, as stated by the national weather agency.
The nation's agencies have released rare severe gust advisories - the highest alert level - in core zones including Wellington and Canterbury.
Locals have been urged to remain inside, stay off roads, and get ready for additional power and communication outages.
Widespread Destruction and Crisis Response
The power cut seems to be impacting residences predominantly in the South Island, while agencies state that power was being slowly brought back.
Local media have stated that in some places roofs have been ripped off houses, and power lines and trees have been brought down by the gales.
Across Wellington, a person was killed after being impacted by a wooden fragment at a popular trail walking spot on Tuesday.
Meanwhile in Wellington, a woman was pushed toward oncoming traffic on a street by a powerful blast, in a event that was captured in a viral dashcam video.
Aircraft services in and out of the urban area have been cancelled due to the weather, and certain highways and community centers are also closed.
At the same time authorities in Canterbury have declared a emergency situation, to facilitate recovery activities.
Labor Protests Amid Extreme Weather
The wild winds on Thursday come as numerous of educators, medical professionals and government employees take part in what has been described as a "mega strike", calling for better pay and working conditions.
Yet the intense climate has compelled them to change some of their plans, with some outdoor rallies relocated inside or cancelled.
Like conditions are affecting the neighboring country, ushering in a heatwave to the country's outback.
Agencies have announced fire bans for apprehension regarding forest fires.
