Hawke's Bay residents say they are still picking up the pieces of their lives one year after Cyclone Gabrielle left the region in tatters.
The cyclone led to the deaths of 11 people, caused widespread devastation and communication blackouts which lasted days.
Torrential rain - far exceeding expectations - fell in the hills behind Napier and Hastings... and swollen rivers breached their banks.
In Whirinaki, on the coast near the Esk River mouth, the floodwater rose rapidly.
Resident, Todd Smith, went door-to-door helping rescue his neighbours and get them to safety.
Smith spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
