Cyclone seen as wake-up call on climate change

Most expensive event

The flood in Auckland, which began on Jan 27, was the most expensive weather event ever seen in New Zealand while Cyclone Gabrielle prompted a national state of emergency, only the third in the country's history.

Storms, floods and heat waves are expected to become more frequent and intense, yet many cities are poorly prepared.

"Perhaps not surprisingly, there is now a lot more talk about the need for 'sponge cities', with Auckland being a prime candidate. The basic principle is to manage urban flood risks by utilizing more natural drainage and flood-resilient systems and material," Lo and Chan said in their article, published Saturday.