A family spent a terrifying night on their roof as floodwaters raged around their home at Te Araroa on the East Cape.
They are now safe, and thankful for all the support they have been offered in the wake of their ordeal.
Huia Ngatai, in a message to 1News, said she, her partner Bully and children spent five hours on the roof of their home, an experience that "was unlike anything we had ever experienced".
"The speed, force, and unpredictability of the flooding has left our family traumatised and deeply affected."
She said they went to check the bridge at the end of their property around 2am and noticed the water was unusually high. Historically, their land hadn’t flooded.
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After checking on their neighbours, they returned home with the intention of leaving for safety with their children, but it soon became obvious it wasn’t safe to leave. They got in touch with points of contact, who remained on the phone with them to provide reassurance.
They eventually clambered onto the roof, having to wait out the situation as emergency crews were unable to get to them.
“We climbed onto the roof as the water rapidly rose. The experience was horrific. My children were screaming and crying, and we were all in shock. As we moved toward the highest point of the roof, the deck roof suddenly disintegrated and collapsed in front of us. By then, floodwater was surging down both sides of the house and had risen within seconds to the bottom of the roof. We could feel the house moving and creaking beneath us.”
Ngatai said the noise of boulders crashing and trees cracking was overwhelming.
“We remained on the roof for approximately five hours in torrential rain,” Ngatai said.
“Eventually, I went quiet and held my babies, believing that we were going to die.
"The house continued to move and creak under immense pressure from the floodwaters. A large pūriri tree directly behind our house diverted the flow of the river around both sides of the house rather than directly through it. Without that tree, we believe the water would have rushed straight through the house.”
As the rain eased and daylight emerged, the river started to subside, revealing the devastation left behind.
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“Thick silt everywhere, huge boulders just metres from the kitchen, debris scattered across the property, vehicles overturned, and water still gushing down both sides of the house.”
Once it was safe for the family to get off the roof, they headed for the road. They were eventually airlifted to a clinic in Te Araroa for a check-up.
Family spokesperson Lizzy Ngatai-Hawtin said as a mother, she found it difficult to hear what they had gone through.
"I can not express enough how relieved I am for them, and how relieved they must be."
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