Jacqui Church: Waikato District Mayor says Cyclone Gabrielle has made it a bad night in the northern Waikato

Emergency services are being kept busy across the upper North Island as Cyclone Gabrielle continues to hit the country. Our newsroom understands a firefighter is unaccounted for at Muriwai on Auckland's West Coast, with residents of Motutara and Domain Roads being evacuated overnight. Flooding, slips and downed trees are affecting homes in several regions, and a person is trapped in a car in Whangārei. The entire Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne Regions are in a state of emergency, including the Coromandel Peninsula. Waikato District Mayor, Jacqui Church told Kate Hawkesby defence and roading crews have been out in full-force in northern Waikato, which has been hit hard. Severe weather warnings remain in effect for the entire North Island and upper South, and tens of thousands of people remain without power. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.