February 16, 2023
Uncles on roofs as Hawke’s Bay river bursts banks
The chair of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Hinewai Ormsby, says Cyclone Gabrielle is testing the resilience of communities in the region.
Many smaller communities have become islands cut off by floods, slips and downed bridges, and the priority is getting in food and water and taking out any people who may have critical conditions.
Power is still out in Napier after a substation flooded, and Trustpower says it could take days to restore service.
Ms Ormsby says her own Waiohiki Marae was able to shelter many whanau before they could be evacuated to Wapatu Marae in Hastings.
“We had uncles on roofs, cousins on roofs, we has them on cars because they had slips because the water came through Waiohiki so fast off the Tutaekuri River. By the time I was declaring a regional state of emergency, minutes later my house was flooding,” she says.
Ms Ormsby says many areas are only accessible by air or army unimog, and the Defence Force is doing a fantastic job helping with rescue efforts and dropping off supplies.