As Cyclone Gabrielle continues to cause widespread damage and disruption, Save the Children is calling for greater visibility of children in the response to climate-related emergencies.

"We are deeply concerned about the lack of visibility of children in these types of emergencies," says Save the Children New Zealand’s Advocacy Director Jacqui Southey.

"As the frequency and impact of these climate emergencies increase, it is vital that children are protected, included, and provided for during emergency incidents and in the recovery phase.

"This includes child friendly messaging about keeping safe during the emergency, and robust data collection on how the emergency situation is directly impacting children. This kind of data is crucial to inform a response that effectively responds to what children, and specific groups of children need."

This morning, multiple regions across the North Island are in States of Emergency, with landslides, flooding and widespread damage and disruption. Cyclone Gabrielle follows Auckland’s recent catastrophic floods on January 27 that killed four people and caused widespread damage.

Says Ms Southey: "Children have been uprooted from their homes, lost most, if not all, of their belongings and had their education disrupted. Schools in many areas are closed for at least an additional two days this week on top of the disrupted start to the school year already felt in Auckland.

"Families with the least resources will be struggling the most, these are families who already can’t afford insurance who have lost their belongings and as a result are now under extreme financial distress."

Save the Children is calling for child specific resources, including adequate income support for affected families and psychosocial support for children, to ensure children are safe and their needs are met during and after the emergency.

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