A Hawke's Bay woman has had her life turned upside down after Cyclone Gabrielle devastated the region this week - but despite the destruction, she's still smiling, happy to be alive.
Sally Prins has lived on Dartmoor Road for over 50 years but during the flooding her house was submerged, forcing her family to escape via the rooftop.
As the flooding started to rise, Prins only had a few seconds to get out of her house before the water reached the roof.
She had to duck under door frames and swim through the floodwaters where family pulled her onto the roof.
Unable to see, Prins had to feel her way around the door frames and take breaths where she could.
"I was blowing bubbles by the end," she said.
"If I weren't wearing a puffer jacket, I wouldn't have been buoyant that far."
Bruised and battered after the ordeal, Prins waited with her family for a helicopter to pick them and take them to safety.
"We were wet and cold and shivering, all of us holding onto each other, and ya know, it was just unbelievable how we got out."
But even in the direst of situations, she kept a positive attitude - thankful to be alive.
"Ya had to joke about it because you wouldn't be here."
The area has been decimated by flooding this week, with crops destroyed, cars overturned, and family photos strewn over the ruined landscape.
The region is currently cut off, with no WiFi and cellphone reception, stopping residents from contacting their friends and family.
Video from Dartmoor Road shows the asphalt covered in slips, with part of the road falling away, creating a waterfall.
She showed 1News her home, filled with mud which covered the previously white walls.
Prins lost several dogs during the storm, with her foxy still missing.
She's seen the community come together to help her and her family clean up the home, which Prins calls "humbling."
"It's just so humbling to see everyone helping."
She said her life has been completely turned upside down but has chosen to look on the bright side.
"Just seeing 50 years of your life, just gone, but it doesn't matter; we're all still here and were alive."
The Hawke's Bay region has been hit especially hard by Gabrielle, with communities still needing help to contact the rest of the area.
So far, seven people have died in the aftermath of the disaster.
Attention is turning to recovery efforts in the worst-hit regions, including Gisborne/Tairāwhiti, Hawke's Bay, Coromandel, Northland and coastal West Auckland.
Fears are growing for the hundreds that remain unaccounted for.
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