Cyclone Gabrielle: Former NRL star Issac Luke’s dad dies in NZ floods

Former Rabbitoh and NZ Warriors star Issac Luke’s dad has died after being caught in floods, as more than 4500 people remain “uncontactable”.

A car is washed into a ditch in Dartmoore Road west of Napier after floods from Cyclone Gabrielle. Picture: Getty Images

Former South Sydney Rabbitoh and New Zealand great Issac Luke is mourning the death of his father who has become one of the latest victims of Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand.

Nine people are understood to have died in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, including two-year-old Ivy Collins, whose home was flooded.

The official death toll is at eight after a 59-year-old woman was found dead in the roof cavity of her home.

Former South Sydney Rabbitohs and NZ Warriors star Issac Luke’s father George Luke and his partner Mau Goodman were driving over the Kaweka Ranges on Monday night when the car they were driving was hit by a slip twice, reports NZ Herald.

A search for the pair was launched after family members could not reach them. They were airlifted out by helicopter on Thursday but Mr Luke later died in hospital, making him the ninth victim, according to the outlet.

George Luke has died after being caught in a slip caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. Picture: Facebook

South Sydney legend Issac Luke is mourning the loss of his father. Picture: Gregg Porteous

It comes after the mother of two-year-old Ivy tried desperately to save her daughter from rising floodwaters, but the girl drowned after falling from her shoulders.

Ms Collins’ uncle, Adam Collins, told the NZ Herald the family were woken about 3am on Tuesday with water inside the house.

The couple, Jack and his pregnant wife Ella, quickly went to their two daughters, Imogen and Ivy.

Ivy Collins (centre) was swept away in flooding in Eskdale, New Zealand during Cyclone Gabrielle.

“They were trying to come up with a plan, they had a few minutes, trying to get the dogs inside, organise the pets, and then this wave came through which added to the water in the house quite significantly, sort of halfway up the walls,” he said.

“At that point they knew they had to get out. It’s a one-storey house, they didn’t have roof space.”

“They’ve got a kid each, they go out the door, and another wave comes through on the way over to this house ... it takes her [Ella] away, she says save Imogen, my brother Jack manages to scramble onto this house and rips open the roof, cutting up his arm pretty bad, and he throws this little kid into the roof space and says stay there.

“He doesn’t know if he’s coming back... he finds his wife floating around and manages to get her back to safety... but by that time they’d lost the little one. There’s nothing they could’ve done... She had her on her shoulders and she slipped out, her feet were taken out from underneath.”

Cyclone Gabrielle cut a trail of destruction across northern New Zealand. Picture: AFP

They spent hours in the dark trying to find their daughter, including climbing a tree yelling out her name, while also helping his neighbours get to safety inside the roof space.

The family were eventually rescued from the home and the next day Ivy, who they describe as their “beautiful little cherub”, was found dead.

“There was nothing they could’ve done more than they did,” Mr Collins said.

“We are all so proud of how he responded we have no doubt that all five of them are still here today because of the way he responded.”

Ivy’s mother Ella posted on Facebook that flash flooding that “completely destroyed” their family home.

“It was an unavoidable accident and she died very quickly,” she said. “We are all going to need all the love we can get.”

Residents in Taradale clean up silt following flood waters on February 15, 2023 in Napier, New Zealand. Picture: Getty Images

WATER LIMITS, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ‘UNCONTACTABLE’

Gisborne residents, in the North Island’s east, have been told to cease using water after the failure of a water treatment plans in Waipaoa.

Emergency supplies have reached the area but Tairāwhiti Civil Defence: “This is a major crisis our city has no water. Don’t turn your taps on.”

It comes as New Zealanders have been told to brace for more deaths in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, with more than 4500 unable to be contacted by authorities.

A firefighter was the sixth person to die on Thursday after being rescued from a collapsed house in a Muriwai landslide.

This handout photo received on February 16, 2023 from the New Zealand Defence Force shows flooding in the Hawkes Bay region in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. Picture: AFP

Craig Stevens was taken to hospital in a critical condition late on Monday night, NZ Herald reports.

“We are still coming to terms with the news that Craig, our second firefighter caught in the Muriwai landslide, has died in hospital,” Fire and Emergency NZ chief executive Kerry Gregory said on Thursday night.

“All of Fire and Emergency will feel his loss, and my heart goes out to his family.”

Mr Stevens colleague Dave van Zwanenberg was also killed in the landslide while trying to dig a trench behind a woman’s house to divert water, the outlet reported.

People wait in a queue to fill their gas bottles in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle near Napier on February 16, 2023. Picture: AFP

A petrol station is open only for emergency vehicles in the city of Napier. Picture: AFP

The 4500-plus “uncontactable” people is up from the 3544 reported on Thursday.

That number is expected to reduce but NZ Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said “we need to be prepared for the likelihood of future fatalities”.

He said there were still people police had “grave concerns” for.

More than 4000 lightning strikes were recorded across the North Island on Thursday as more storms hit. A severe weather warning was issued but has since been lifted.

CYCLONE DESTROYS MAJOR FARMING REGION

Hundreds of hectares of orchards and crops in Hawke’s Bay, on the east coast of the North Island, have been destroyed by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Repairs are likely to mount into the hundreds of millions of dollars and take several years.

Ruined grape vines in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. Picture: Getty Images

A car submerged in floodwater in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle near Napier. Picture: AFP

A ute is buried in debris in Puketapu west of Napier, on the North Island’s east coast. Picture: Getty Images

“It’s not only apples, but the ground crops: the squash, the onions, maze. It’s all severely impacted and a lot of people ... don’t actually realise how extreme it is,’’ Bostock New Zealand apple company owner John Bostock told NZ Herald on Thursday.

“This is a social, environmental and an economic problem. We’ve got our infrastructure compromised, we’ve got the heart of the economy compromised and socially so many people are disrupted.

“We need a government response. This is actually really, really serious.’’

Originally published as Cyclone Gabrielle: Former NRL star Issac Luke’s dad dies in NZ floods