New Zealand declares emergency as Cyclone Gabrielle eases

The New Zealand government declared a state of emergency Tuesday across the country’s North Island, which has been battered by Cyclone Gabrielle.

The declaration enables the government to support six regions where local emergencies had already been declared and provide addition resources, Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty said.

The country was lashed by intense rainfall overnight that forced evacuations and brought widespread flooding, power outages and road closures.