MAKING PLANS TO SUPPORT WHĀNAU IN NEED
A Somerville Street couple have had a mammoth uphill battle since being forced to abandon their Cyclone Gabrielle-affected home due to health reasons.
Tracey and James Hati returned to their hometown of Wairoa around 10 years ago when James became unwell, requiring dialysis three times a week.
On the morning of the cyclone, their entire section was flooded with water surrounding the house, covering the road and “looking like rapids as it lapped against their home”.
Because of James’s health needs, the couple were collected and flown to Hastings Hospital, where they spent the next couple of months living in the whānau whare.
Tracey said they wanted to come home, but with SH2 between Wairoa and Hastings closed, they had to stay at the base hospital in Hastings to access services. Eventually, they were able to arrange for James’s treatment to be carried out in Gisborne and returned to their family home.
“After more than two months away, when we returned, the house stunk of mud, there was silt everywhere, and we had no hot water or laundry facilities because of the damage to the under-house plumbing caused by the flooding and silt.
“We made an insurance claim, but we got rejected and told there was not enough evidence to support our claim.” Meanwhile, the couple, who are supported by their daughter, have had no hot water since they moved back in and have been boiling water for their baths. “We have paid insurance for all those years, and then along comes a natural disaster, and we were rejected. With so much time taken up travelling to Gisborne for James’s dialysis, we just didn’t know what to do next.”
It was the power of collaboration that alerted the Wairoa Recovery team to the couple’s plight, with reach outs from Tatau Tatau o Te Wairoa, a concerned neighbour and meeting up at the Tails and Tales neighbourhood drop-in sessions.
Wairoa Recovery kaimanaaki Michelle Tahuri-Olsen said the Recovery team is so grateful to those who reached out and made it known what the Hatis were going through.
Initially, the Hati’s low-lying home had been white-stickered, meaning it remained liveable despite the surrounding homes being yellow- stickered. A recent reassessment
of the home, which included noting cracked and slumping walls, saw the placard move to a Yellow sticker – restricted access.
Michelle said the house is close to the ground, and underneath is full of silt, but the silt can’t be removed by accessing the house from the sides as it is too close to the ground. Because the house has now been reassessed as a Yellow stickered home, that will support the insurance claim and access to other services such as Red Cross funding for plumbing works.”
Michelle said now that there is a clearer picture of the damage sustained, the Recovery team will advocate on behalf of the Hatis and take their claim to the New Zealand Insurance Claim Resolution Service.
An accommodation pod has also been arranged for the Hatis so they can stay in the temporary home on their property while their house is given the attention it needs.
Tracey says she is so grateful to Michelle and the Wairoa Recovery team. “Just knowing we have a plan and support is amazing. We didn’t think this would happen, it’s been nearly nine months.”
Michelle says every person’s journey is different. “We know there are people out there who need help, and our job is to support you. For any flood-related assistance, please contact the Recovery Office by email at recovery@wairoadc.govt.nz or call 0508 YROA4U or 0508 976248.
Caption: Tracey Hati and Wairoa Recovery kaimanaaki Michelle Tahuri- Olsen outside the Hati’s whānau home, which sustained cracked and slumping walls following Cyclone Gabrielle.
4 November 2024
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