🔗 Share this article Fierce Gales Leave Tens of Thousands In the Dark in New Zealand Residents advised to remain inside as strong winds batter the nation. Powerful gusts hitting speeds of up to 155km/h (96mph) have caused around 90,000 homes experiencing outages and led authorities to call off more than 100 air travel services, according to domestic outlets. The gales are influencing the whole southern region and lower areas of the North Island, per the weather forecasting body. The nation's agencies have issued rare high-level wind alerts - the top caution category - in core zones encompassing Canterbury and Wellington. Residents have been encouraged to remain inside, refrain from journeys, and prepare for further electricity and network failures. Widespread Impact and Emergency Response The power cut seems to be impacting households mainly in the South Island, although agencies report that energy was being slowly brought back. Regional news have stated that in some places homes have lost their roofs, and power lines and trees have been knocked down by the winds. Across Wellington, a individual was lost his life after being hit by a tree branch at a well-known hiking path on Tuesday. Meanwhile in Wellington, a female was blown onto moving cars on a road by a strong gust of wind, in a event that was captured in a widely shared car camera footage. Air travel entering and leaving the city have been cancelled because of the winds, and various routes and public facilities are shut down. Simultaneously Canterbury officials have declared a crisis declaration, to facilitate recovery activities. A large portion of New Zealand is experiencing severe weather warnings. Work Stoppages During Extreme Conditions The wild winds on Thursday come as many of teachers, doctors and other public workers are participating in what has been termed a "significant labor action", calling for higher wages and enhanced employment terms. However the extreme weather has pressured them to modify certain arrangements, with several external protests moved indoors or called off. Similar gusts are affecting the neighboring country, ushering in a period of extreme heat to the country's outback. Authorities have issued fire bans for apprehension regarding forest fires.