An 87-year-old woman was forced to take shelter high in a cupboard as her Berhampore home was inundated with floodwater early this morning.
Gavin Naftel told 1News he was in Johnsonville when he received a call from his sister-in-law around 4am, who said the home was flooded and they couldn't get out.
Due to the speed of the rising waters, the sister-in-law assisted the older woman into a cupboard above a wardrobe, while she was forced to tread water for at least half-an-hour.
Naftel said when he arrived, he was able to swim through the back door with a police officer to rescue his sister-in-law and the dog, while firefighters came to the aid of his sister-in-law.
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The two women were wet and cold, with his mother-in-law taken to hospital for a check-up.
"It’s great to know they are safe," Naftel said.
"Nature’s a cruel thing at times. [We] managed, to get them out in time, which is the main thing. Credit to my sister-in-law for managing to get her up somewhere high and safe – to save her life really."
He said they felt fortunate they were aware on the situation in time to get themselves to safety.
“Within half an hour, it’s risen from ground level to 2m deep within the house.
“They were just lucky they woke up in time and were able to get high enough from the water."
Also in the south of Wellington, a man says he's grateful no-one was hurt after his flat was badly damaged by a landslip early this morning, amid the deluge that swamped parts of the city.
CJ Kochar was in his room in Brooklyn when he heard a rumbling sound around 5am. He could also hear heavy rain and rocks hitting the roof.
Then, he noticed cracks on the wall. He managed to get to safety as a whole wall was pushed in.
He said the situation left him "totally scared".
"It was like some kind of monster was outside and trying to come in."
Kochar and his flatmates were now looking for a new place to live, but he said the main thing was no-one was hurt.
"Everyone is alive and nothing happened to anyone."
Vehicles float down Wellington streets as flash flooding hits, watch on TVNZ+
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