Cyclone Gabrielle: 'Bad call' to turn back car could have cost five lives
Monday, 20 February 2023
While the floodwaters from parts of Hawke’s Bay that were literally underwater almost a week ago have cleared, residents in the worst-hit areas have not slowed in their response efforts.
Jason Southon had spent the past two days cleaning out his family home of more than 60 years in Waiohiki.
While he had been out of the area the night of the flood, his family had been forced to flee in the dark, early hours of Tuesday morning after the Tutaekuri River overflowed.
His mother, sister, brother and his brother’s two children, aged 11 and 14, fled in their car first via Omaranui Rd and then the even more flooded Links Rd after being told to turn around by authorities. The car and family was swept from the road.
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His brother swam the children to safety while his sister and mother – neither of whom could swim – stayed in the car as water flooded in. The overturned ute was still visible amongst the flood debris on Monday.
By the time they made it out of the car they were underwater and quickly swept further downstream.
That was the last the family saw or heard from either women before they were finally found at one of the evacuation centres and reunited late on Wednesday.
“Just not knowing anything it was really scary and frightening,” Southon said.
Southon acknowledged it was a “bad call” which could have cost his family their lives but praised the efforts of emergency services overall.
From the porch outside the wharenui at Ōmahu Marae, residents watched the ever-growing informal dump where they have been placing the flood-damaged items emptied from the 150 or so houses they called home.
Michael Pita, 60, was washed against a wire fence on his Korokipo Rd home when the Ngaruroro broke through its stopbanks on Tuesday morning.
'I was chest deep in water. I swallowed a fair bit, and debris too,' he said.
'I can't believe this happened to us,' Pita said, as he looked out on a huge mountain of wrecked furniture and belongings on a paddock across the road.
'I'm a survivor. We'll get through this. But it is devastating,' he said.
The local marae and urupa fared no better and though unable to house evacuees due to flooding, it had been a hive of activity as locals stood up a community hub where people could find donated kai, clothing, warm drinks and a kind ear to listen.
Ōmahu Marae trustee Trisha Nuku (Ngāti Kahungunu: Ngāti Hinemanu, Ngāi Te Upokoiri me ōna Piringa hapū) recounted how residents trying to flee the area after the river burst about 8.30am circled a roundabout, considering their options “like Russian roulette”, as floodwaters surged.
Many of those who went down Swamp Rd north to Fernhill ended up stranded on roofs for hours before rescue.
The lack of instruction for residents in the area to evacuate left her frustrated and feeling the community had been forgotten.
As of Monday the marae still hadn’t been visited by Civil Defence or council officials, she said, although a building assessor had begun evaluating flood-damaged homes.
Tash Hanara (Ngāti Kahungunu: Ngāti Hinemanu, Ngāi Te Upokoiri me ōna Piringa hapū) also felt the community had been left to fend for themselves creating some tensions as whānau debated the best course of action during this “unprecedented time”.
She said had the river burst during the night or in the early hours, like the Tutaekuri did near the settlement of Waiohiki, many residents would have lost their lives. The body of a man in his 70s was found in the area on Thursday.