Hawke's Bay

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has responded to reports of crime in flood-ravaged areas and people setting up community checkpoints to deal with incidents.

Boil water notices remain in some places, with others still without electricity.

Hundreds of men and women in hi-vis gear are scaling infrastructure and working around the clock.

It is feared some farmers have had their valuable winter feed crops completely wiped out by Cyclone Gabrielle, which will cause further headaches in the coming months.

A resident says people were calling for help from their rooftops as floodwaters ripped through the area. Audio

First Person - RNZ's Anusha Bradley woke on Tuesday to muddy brown water lapping at her back door. In the week since, a virtual black-out brought her closer to the community she calls home.

Police are stressing safety as their number one priority amid lootings in flood-stricken areas, and they urged people affected by Cyclone Gabrielle to report if they are safe.

Days after Cyclone Gabrielle forced people out of their homes in Waipawa, RNZ reporter Lauren Crimp finds an entire community eager to help each other out.

Clean-up efforts are underway in Hawke's Bay, with huge areas buried beneath mud and debris. See how mammoth the task ahead is with RNZ's photo gallery.

There was cheering and clapping in the streets of Napier as power came on in parts of the city yesterday, the mayor says. Audio

Residents say it's like a bomb has gone off in the area with cars upside down, roads washed away and debris thrown everywhere after Cyclone Gabrielle ripped through the region.

Days after their properties were inundated with rapidly rising floodwater, residents are returning to devastating scenes.

The number of deaths linked to the winds, landslips and floodwaters caused by Cyclone Gabrielle has risen to eight, with another death near Napier. See how the day unfolded with RNZ's live blog.

Residents in the small settlement of Omahu spent the day throwing their flood stricken belongings on the street, and dealing with the exposed graves and bones that have been found in the debris.

Civil Defence, NZDF and countless community organisations are doing what they can to help. See how the clean-up is going with RNZ's photo gallery.

Another person is believed to have died after being caught in flood water, bringing the death toll from Cyclone Gabrielle to seven.

Rural Support Trust has fears for people still unaccounted for in flood-affected rural Hawke's Bay communities, where communication and access is still a major challenge.

In Napier the prospect of the power being off for several more days is starting to settle in - with many heading south to Hastings where power is back on. Audio

Heartbreaking stories of people who have lost everything are emerging as the devastation Cyclone Gabrielle brought upon Hawke's Bay becomes clearer.