Ben And Sarah Aperahama. Photo: Rebecca Grunwell / Gisborne Herald
A Gisborne couple tasked with an eye-watering clean-up following Cyclone Gabrielle feel they were neglected by the district council during and after the event.
When the Waipaoa River burst its banks on the night of 13 February, Ben and Sarah Aperahama's home located between Te Karaka and Ormond was submerged in floodwater by the following morning.
In the days following, the couple have worked tirelessly to clear thick, brown sludge from their property - a common sight in the worst-affected areas of the region.
Most of their possessions have ended up at the dump and the house is unliveable.
"When I first started going out with Ben, we stayed in his mum's garage… we're back 20 years later," Sarah said last week while reflecting on the couple's ordeal.
Ben, a keen musician, lost over $100,000 of music equipment, while Sarah got emotional when she thought about losing her renovated bathroom and kitchen.
Added to the sadness of material loss, Sarah felt there had been a lack of care shown by the council.
On the night of the disaster, she messaged Tairāwhiti Civil Defence to ask if her family should evacuate from their Waipaoa Road home, but never received the directive.
Meanwhile, Ormond residents six kilometres down the road were told to make their way to higher ground just after midnight.
A person asking Civil Defence on its Facebook page whether the instruction applied to the area the Aperahamas lived was told it did not because Waipaoa Road was "not near the Ormond township".
"The [river] bank went 'boom' and it was like a tidal wave. They [the neighbours] were on that high point there," Sarah said, recounting her family's traumatic experience.
"They thought they were going to die because there was water all around them."
As the situation worsened, the Aperahama family took it upon themselves to relocate to Ormond and ultimately made it to safety.
In the days that followed, Sarah felt her community had been forgotten about.
The council made contact for the first time three days later to yellow-sticker her house and again the following day to conduct a welfare check, which she described as a visit to make sure they were still alive.
Other than that, there had been little to no support, she said.
Water from the Waipaoa River flooded the house and section on the morning of 14 February. The Aperahama family have enlisted the help of contractors to clear the waste as they wait for further instructions from council and insurance. Photo: Rebecca Grunwell / Gisborne Herald
With the sticker applied, access to their whare was limited to essential business such as recovering valuables, and could only be made under supervision.
Most of what they owned was unsalvageable and was thrown out.
A stove hood in what was a three-year-old kitchen was one of the few untouched items left in the house.
"I think there's a lot of hurt in this area because we didn't get visited. We still haven't heard from Tairāwhiti Civil Defence."
Sarah was also critical of the council's stopbank work, saying more needed to be done to "spread the floodwater" and protect the communities of Waipaoa and Te Karaka.
Despite being insured, she estimated they face a loss of up to 80 percent.
They had begun the long road to recovery under their own steam, enlisting the help of building contractors to clear silt as they continued to wait on answers from insurance, EQC and the council about next steps.
"We have been the sacrifice. I don't even know where to start. What do you do?"
Tairāwhiti Civil Defence controller Phil Nickerson said he was sorry to hear about the Aperahama's disappointment and the losses they were facing.
People were angry, frustrated and looking for answers, he said.
Those subscribed to Civil Defence flood warning alerts received a text at 11.52pm the Monday night of the storm, asking residents in Te Karaka (north of Waipaoa) to evacuate as the Waipaoa River at Kanakanaia had reached 8.2 metres.
The message included information on an evacuation centre.
A couple of hours later, all communication went down and Civil Defence was relieved the text had gone out, Nickerson said.
"Our messaging has, is and will continue to be that if you live in low-lying areas near the river, do not wait for evacuation orders.
"We repeated this cautionary message many times on the day of Monday, February 13.
"We ask that [the] Aperahamas get in touch with us about what she [sic] and her family needs, and where we can direct support."
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
