For Mackley Street neighbours and mum and daughter Helen and Lee Grace, recovery is about getting stuck in.
Helen and her husband, the late Willie Grace, had lived in their home for around 45 years. Cyclone Bola did lap the steps back in 1988 but didn’t quite make it inside.
Helen says when she got up on the morning of February 14, 2023, she thought Wairoa had dodged a bullet until later, when she looked out the window, and saw the water coming down the street.
Helen and Lee’s homes were yellow- stickered, with chest-high water flooding the properties.
Mum and daughter spent around five months living with family on the ‘south side’ of town until their temporary and neighbouring pods were ready.
“We thought living in the pods would be good, and they have served their purpose, but we won’t be keeping them. They are small, and we are pretty sick of them now - especially when the plumbing plays up.”
Inside their homes, where once the water was knee-deep, they now have freshly painted walls and new flooring. They are just waiting for the plumbing work to be completed so they can move back in. Sadly, Helen’s husband Willie, passed away last October, before he was able to see his home restored.
“It’s taken a year to put it all back together, and we are still not there yet,” says Helen, who points out chest-high silt deposits in some of her garden trees.
The keen gardener was grateful for the help she received to get the silt off her property and was surprised by how much of her garden had survived.
Helen’s attitude is pragmatic. “We need river protection, the river breached twice in the same place in Bola and Gabrielle, we are just lucky no one lost their lives.”
Lee is a firm believer in getting on with the job. “We didn’t wait for people to come and rescue us, we just did it ourselves and helped other people where we could.”
“It will be awesome to be back in our homes.”
Helen and her husband, the late Willie Grace, had lived in their home for around 45 years. Cyclone Bola did lap the steps back in 1988 but didn’t quite make it inside.
Helen says when she got up on the morning of February 14, 2023, she thought Wairoa had dodged a bullet until later, when she looked out the window, and saw the water coming down the street.
Helen and Lee’s homes were yellow- stickered, with chest-high water flooding the properties.
Mum and daughter spent around five months living with family on the ‘south side’ of town until their temporary and neighbouring pods were ready.
“We thought living in the pods would be good, and they have served their purpose, but we won’t be keeping them. They are small, and we are pretty sick of them now - especially when the plumbing plays up.”
Inside their homes, where once the water was knee-deep, they now have freshly painted walls and new flooring. They are just waiting for the plumbing work to be completed so they can move back in. Sadly, Helen’s husband Willie, passed away last October, before he was able to see his home restored.
“It’s taken a year to put it all back together, and we are still not there yet,” says Helen, who points out chest-high silt deposits in some of her garden trees.
The keen gardener was grateful for the help she received to get the silt off her property and was surprised by how much of her garden had survived.
Helen’s attitude is pragmatic. “We need river protection, the river breached twice in the same place in Bola and Gabrielle, we are just lucky no one lost their lives.”
Lee is a firm believer in getting on with the job. “We didn’t wait for people to come and rescue us, we just did it ourselves and helped other people where we could.”
“It will be awesome to be back in our homes.”
Lee and Helen Grace in Helen’s garden which has made an incredible recovery from the chest-high water that engulfed it.
For Lee and Helen Grace, a bonus was receiving Red Cross Home Bundles of essential kitchenware, bedding and furniture, much needed as they get closer to moving into their repaired homes.