2-Year-Old Dies In New Zealand Storm, Death Count Reaches 8

About 10,000 people are displaced, cities and towns are still without power and drinking water

A New Zealand mum has recounted the heartbreak of watching her two-year-old daughter being swept away in floodwaters unleashed by Cyclone Gabrielle, whose death count rose to eight on Friday.

The storm has faded into the South Pacific but has left a trail of destruction and human suffering across New Zealand's North Island.

About 10,000 people are displaced, cities and towns are still without power and drinking water, and local government officials estimate tens or even hundreds of communities have yet to be contacted.

Details are only gradually emerging about the scale of the disaster and the horrors endured by survivors such as Ella Louise Collins.