Cyclone Gabrielle

[C_T_Russell]

Nope nowhere near that number are dead, at present there are only 346 missing, ie uncontactable.

"Cyclone Gabrielle – Eastern District update, Wednesday 22 February
1 min read
News article photos, audio and videos (1 items)
Police talking to concerned residents in Clive.
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Home > News > Cyclone Gabrielle – Eastern District update, Wednesday 22 February

In the 24 hours to midday today, Police in Eastern District conducted more than 600 prevention activities, including reassurance patrols and proactive engagements with storm-hit communities.

Nineteen people were arrested and charged with 32 offences.

The arrests were in Gisborne (eight), Hastings (six), Napier (four) and Wairoa (1).

Charges primarily relate to shoplifting, assault and family harm.

There were three charges for burglary.

An additional 145 police staff and the Eagle helicopter remain in Eastern District.

The number of uncontactable people continues to reduce and currently sits at 346.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

https://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/...cmin=&cmax=

C_T_Russell, beware, right wing media are full of inaccuracies and general crap reporting.

Its understandable that number will go down if they are confirmed dead.
So whats the death toll currently at? That way it can be confirmed for sure.
Was 11 last time I heard. Im hearing this stuff from friends, not any "right wing" media.
I hope my friends are wrong.

[zqwerty]

11 as far as I know, lots of people still haven't phoned in or are uncontactable, but I don't think they are all dead, certainly not thousands.

I wonder what has happened to all the radio hams, once upon a time they would have been radioing back info, have people just lost interest in that hobby?

Even C.B. Citizens Band radios have a simplex range of 25 miles or so I believe. Wonder why we are not hearing about and from them.

[C_T_Russell]

11 as far as I know, lots of people still haven't phoned in or are uncontactable, but I don't think they are all dead, certainly not thousands.

I wonder what has happened to all the radio hams, once upon a time they would have been radioing back info, have people just lost interest in that hobby?

Even C.B. Citizens Band radios have a simplex range of 25 miles or so I believe.  Wonder why we are not hearing about and from them.

I heard on the news tonight that there have been several "rumors". I wouldn't be surprised if there is a hundred or so dead however, looked like the police were definitely concerned about the wellbeing of some of the unconcactable when interviewed.

In this day and age, you would think that communicating would be easy, even if services were disrupted.
CB radio is great but few use it, despite it being capable of reaching overseas . 
I keep a handheld uhf radio in my survival kit. All our family have them and we all know what channel to reach each other on if shtf.
They don't have the same range as a CB, buy they are convenient to have  and lightweight, there are repeaters around the country too that extend the range, ive printed a list to keep on hand and there are also local groups who help each other with training on their use in emergency situations. I had to get mine programmed with the channels when I got it, but it was only like 30 dollars off aliexpress.

[harm_less]

[clip]

In this day and age, you would think that communicating would be easy, even if services were disrupted.
CB radio is great but few use it, despite it being capable of reaching overseas . 
I keep a handheld uhf radio in my survival kit. All our family have them and we all know what channel to reach each other on if shtf.
They don't have the same range as a CB, buy they are convenient to have  and lightweight, there are repeaters around the country too that extend the range, ive printed a list to keep on hand and there are also local groups who help each other with training on their use in emergency situations. I had to get mine programmed with the channels when I got it, but it was only like 30 dollars off aliexpress.

Most people now are unlikely to have a torch or a transistor radio as their communication is totally based around smartphones and computers. A great number of people have just received a rude awakening as to how vulnerable their 'normal' life is to a failure in electricity and broadband infrastructure. Expecting people to have a CB radio (with battery backup) as emergency communication is totally unrealistic. Most don't even possess, or even know about, a bug-out kit to sustain their requirements in the case of emergency evacuations.

The failure of modern electrical infrastructure is well described in books about EMP/Coronal Mass Ejections such as One Second After
 by Dr William R Forstchen or Unprepared by Gavin Shoebridge. Both portray the extent to what modern society is totally unprepared for the loss of modern technology which essentially rolls back everyday life to that which our ancestors had to live in 150 years ago before the arrival of refrigeration, electronic control systems and modern communications. Either book is worth reading if you have an interest in modern reliability on 'gadgets' and how different life becomes when they fail to work.

[zqwerty]

Yes that is what we learnt in Chch after the earthquakes, the only thing that worked for communication most of the time was the the old wired phone network which they are accelerating the push to get rid of down here and apparently all over America as well.

Wood burning stoves also being phased out so when the electric power goes out there will be no heating, no cooking, no lights. no internet, and as in last disaster, cell phone network so overloaded, ceased to function.

I'm old, so is my dog, if we lose power in Winter we will both freeze as we rely on a heat pump.

I have an old kerosene heater I saved from my parents garage after Mum died as last ditch back up heating for a day or two.

[C_T_Russell]

Most people now are unlikely to have a torch or a transistor radio as their communication is totally based around smartphones and computers. A great number of people have just received a rude awakening as to how vulnerable their 'normal' life is to a failure in electricity and broadband infrastructure. Expecting people to have a CB radio (with battery backup) as emergency communication is totally unrealistic. Most don't even possess, or even know about, a bug-out kit to sustain their requirements in the case of emergency evacuations.

The failure of modern electrical infrastructure is well described in books about EMP/Coronal Mass Ejections such as One Second After
 by Dr William R Forstchen or Unprepared by Gavin Shoebridge. Both portray the extent to what modern society is totally unprepared for the loss of modern technology which essentially rolls back everyday life to that which our ancestors had to live in 150 years ago before the arrival of refrigeration, electronic control systems and modern communications. Either book is worth reading if you have an interest in modern reliability on 'gadgets' and how different life becomes when they fail to work.

Well Civil Defense have been telling us for decades to keep this sort of stuff on hand. Perhaps not the walkie talkies, but its a no brainer to me.
You can't rely on the authorities to try and make family contact, so we are taking our own precautions.
Lots of preppers have these radios and know how to use them. My one also has a built in FM radio and a flashlight built into it too!
Your right about the risk of an EMP.
We dodged a bullet recently, I believe a few years ago there was a massive CME from the sun, but the position in the sun's orbit was out of its path.
It happened back in the 1800s and fried telephone lines. If that happened today, it would be even worse.
We do have a little warning to shut down critical infrastructure, NASA do monitor the sun, but it still would be devastating nonetheless.
We have seen what it has done to power grids in the northern hemisphere with much smaller CMEs.

Yes that is what we learnt in Chch after the earthquakes, the only thing that worked for communication most of the time was the the old wired phone network which they are accelerating the push to get rid of down here and apparently all over America as well.

Wood burning stoves also being phased out so when the electric power goes out there will be no heating, no cooking, no lights. no internet, and as  in last disaster, cell phone network so overloaded, ceased to function.

I'm old, so is my dog, if we lose power in Winter we will both freeze as we rely on a heat pump.

I have an old kerosene heater I saved from my parents garage after Mum died as last ditch back up heating for a day or two.

You can't even trust a landline in these situations  especially with flooding, and they are almost nonexistent these days anyway, that's one reason I looked into the walkie talkies. They give surprising coverage.
Your smart with the kerosene heater, I have a drum on hand for emergency use and have a multi fuel cooker that will run on almost any fuel I can get my hands on.
As you say, wood burners are another good option if you have one, you can at least boil water on one if it's got a flat top.

[Kenj]

I'm old, so is my dog, if we lose power in Winter we will both freeze as we rely on a heat pump.

A comfortable bed and 3 dogs is all you need. This is for very cold rated "3 dog nights" Get yourself a couple more young pups!

Ken 

[zqwerty]

As far as I am aware, wood burners are on the way to being banned in Chch, you can't get a new one installed and repairs are very difficult as well the idea is for us to be air pollution free.

The old wired network worked all through the earthquakes for us and was a god-send to us contacting relatives and friends.

[zqwerty]

152 uncontactable as at 3.52 pm today.

[king1]

152 uncontactable as at 3.52 pm today.

well that's coming down thankfully

[zqwerty]

Here's a shocker of a story:

2:21 pm today
Elderly couple wait two days on third floor of Esk Valley home before rescue:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/4847...ore-rescue

Here's another one:

Cyclone Gabrielle: First look into 'catastrophe' at Auckland's cut-off Karekare:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/4847...f-karekare

[zqwerty]

Latest News from Police Site:

"Police have today narrowed the number of uncontactable people in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle to 56.

More than 100 Police staff have been working on matching and verifying people reported as uncontactable, with those reported safe or found.

All 56 people that remain uncontactable as of 2pm today are from the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti areas.

Local staff are prioritising uncontactable persons enquiries with over 70 officers out in force for the past week visiting homes, alternative accommodation, evacuation centres and other locations.

Police have received very few new reports of uncontactable people, with a total 6960 reports logged as at 2pm today.

While the total number of those still to be contacted has reduced significantly, we know there are families out there deeply concerned for the welfare of their loved ones.

The remaining number of people includes those who, for a variety of reasons, do not engage with authorities. Regardless, Police staff are exploring all avenues to try and locate them.

We again urge anyone who has been in touch with someone previously reported uncontactable to let us know, whether that’s via our online form, at a Police station or by reaching out to an officer in the community.

We believe many of these people simply have not realised they have been reported missing.

A significant number of additional Police staff remain in Eastern District, supported by the Eagle helicopter.

The number of confirmed deceased remains at 11.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre"

[zqwerty]

Down to 23 uncontactable now. 11 dead.

[C_T_Russell]

Down to 23 uncontactable now.  11 dead.

Yet im reading on social media from the likes of helicopter pilots who have seen "hundreds" of bodies from the air.
Some of these sources claim they have links to the police or defense force, port, etc.
There are reports from forestry workers who are finding bodies among the slash debris.
Im also reading that there is about 50 orchard workers from Vanuatu who are unaccounted for. Someone is claiming they are dead too. There are so many sources coming forward from eyewitnesses, that I doubt its all made up.
I believe Sean Plunket is wanting to do an anonymous interview with one of the sources.
I know its way more than 11 dead, they are just wanting to identify the bodies first.

[zqwerty]

Down to 13 uncontactable now.

[SueDonim]

Down to 23 uncontactable now.  11 dead.

[1.] Yet im reading on social media from the likes of helicopter pilots who have seen "hundreds" of bodies from the air.
[2.] Some of these sources claim they have links to the police or defense force, port, etc.
[3.] There are reports from forestry workers who are finding bodies among the slash debris.
[4.] Im also reading that there is about 50 orchard workers from Vanuatu who are unaccounted for. Someone is claiming they are dead too. There are so many sources coming forward from eyewitnesses, that I doubt its all made up.
[5.] I believe Sean Plunket is wanting to do an anonymous interview with one of the sources.
[6.] I know its way more than 11 dead, they are just wanting to identify the bodies first.

The easiest way to avoid getting sucked into social media buillshit is to not go there. This is as close as I get - and a few other serious forums where I'm fully transparent. It's annoying that the laziness of the media means that they so often copy social media posts into their mainstream articles, but at least that content is curated.

Overall:
1. Most helicopter pilots would be too busy to waste time on social media, and any who are there, from the air would likely be unable to differentiate a cow or pig carcass from a person. A 10 day old body is going to be pretty bad.
2. Anyone can make that claim. Do they really seem credible? On social media?
3. "There are reports....". There are always "reports". They can be misguided fools, believing other people's reports. Or can be deliberately dishonest trying to have the "best" story. Ever heard of Chinese whispers?
4. RSE workers could be unaccounted for, if they were alone at the time of the flood. But by now the rest of the team would be saying "hmmm, I haven't seen or heard from xxx yet". It would be very bad luck that a whole group just vanished without a trace. Not impossible, but unlikely. Especially considered that they are the ones likely to have experienced this kind of devastation at home.
5. Forget about Sean Plunket.
6. There may be more than 11 dead and to be honest I'm surprised that there aren't more, but the idea of bodies being hidden and data being falsified is ridiculous.

We have competency issues with our police and community leaders, but accusations of wholesale dishonesty about people being dead is far too an extreme version of CT to even be a joke.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

It isn't just social media though. Stuff had a headline mid week claiming the uncontactable numbers were down to single figures, only to rewrite that to 56 later that afternoon.

And yes, if they were setting up multiple morgues the authorities certainly had different expectations.

[SueDonim]

It isn't just social media though. Stuff had a headline mid week claiming the uncontactable numbers were down to single figures, only to rewrite that to 56 later that afternoon.

And yes, if they were setting up multiple morgues the authorities certainly had different expectations.

I rarely read Stuff - too little balance in what I have seen. I've known people/background in a few articles that printed what people said without checking if it was true or even believable.

It is amazing that we haven't had huge numbers of fatalities so I wouldn't be surprised if facilities had been set up in preparation. But clearly weren't needed. People in those areas have shown amazing resilience in keeping themselves alive in a most extraordinary situation.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

My point was the so called news media are little more than social these days when it comes down to reliability. And worse, accountability. At least social media doesn't pretend to be anything other than social...

[king1]

Down to 23 uncontactable now.  11 dead.

Yet im reading on social media from the likes of helicopter pilots who have seen "hundreds" of bodies from the air.
Some of these sources claim they have links to the police or defense force, port, etc.
There are reports from forestry workers who are finding bodies among the slash debris.
Im also reading that there is about 50 orchard workers from Vanuatu who are unaccounted for. Someone is claiming they are dead too. There are so many sources coming forward from eyewitnesses, that I doubt its all made up.
I believe Sean Plunket is wanting to do an anonymous interview with one of the sources.
I know its way more than 11 dead, they are just wanting to identify the bodies first.

I'm just wondering Why CT  - What possible motivation would the Government have to deliberately hide the true number of casualties?  It's not like where asking everyone to take a vaccine for climate change...

The only (somewhat lame) answer I can come up with is that it might lend credence to the big bad government theory of a certain fringe minority, by showing a pattern of behaviour following on from covid to further 'validate' their beliefs - or some ridiculous notion like that