In Pics: New Zealand Grapples With The Aftermath Of Cyclone Gabrielle As Quake Hits Nation

Cyclone Gabrielle struck the New Zealand's north island on Monday and has brought more destruction to the nation of 5 million than any weather event in decades.

Police said at least four people had been confirmed killed by the storm, including a child caught in rising water on Tuesday at Eskdale on Hawke’s Bay.

Police said 1,442 people had been reported uncontactable in the North Island by Wednesday afternoon. There is widespread disruptions to telecommunications and power.  

Around 1,44,000 properties on the North Island were without power on Wednesday, down from 2,25,000 on Tuesday, The New Zealand Herald reported.

A weather station in the Hawke’s Bay and Napier region recorded three times more rain over Monday night than usually falls for the entire month of February, authorities said.

Around 9,000 people have been forced from their homes since Monday, with several communities isolated by floodwaters and landslides.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins visited the Emergency Civil Defence Centre in Auckland on Tuesday. The New Zealand government declared a state of emergency across the country's North Island.

Britain's King Charles III’s sister Princess Anne visited New Zealand’s disaster management headquarters in the capital, Wellington, on Wednesday and praised the nation’s response.

Water gushes from a storm drain access port on a street in Te Awanga, southeast of Auckland. Two weeks ago, Auckland was swamped by a record-breaking storm that killed four people.

Planes on Sunday wait on the tarmac at Auckland Airport after flights were cancelled and passengers stranded as the cyclone hit the northern parts of New Zealand.

A 6.1 earthquake shook New Zealand with an epicenter in northwest Paraparaumu on Wednesday at about 7:38 PM (NZDT). The quake struck at a depth of 76km under the ocean bed in Cook Strait.