Source: Radio New Zealand
As floodwaters reached a metre high inside a Wellington boarding house, Mōkena Spooner-Hokianga walked out with a few precious items in a plastic box.
“Photos of my dad and photos of my mum, y’know, those sentimental things … they’re too important and I can’t replace them.”
The Duckworth Lewis boarder was among the city’s residents woken by flash-flooding in the early hours of Monday following a thunderstorm and torrential rain.
He took refuge at Wellington City Mission, Whakamaru – which has seen an influx of flood-hit people in recent days – including some of the city’s most vulnerable.
Mōkena Richard Spooner-Hokianga. RNZ/Mark Papalii
Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge said the storm had brought a variety of people through its doors and staff and Wellington City Council had been working around the clock to support them.
“Some of them are … struggling – some of them are people living rough or in difficulty anyway, but a number of them have been quite elderly and we’ve also had people with a variety of disabilities.”
He said several residents from Duckworth Lewis had also relocated to Whakamaru.
“It’s on the edge of the Basin Reseve and it was subject to the huge flooding that happened there.
“As a consequence, although their beds were reasonably okay, their carpets weren’t and there seemed to be some expectation that they were going to continue to stay in that environment.
“That’s untenable. So, we’ve had a number of people relocate to Whakamaru for the moment until we can get them placed into more suitable accommodation.”
Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Duckworth Lewis property manager Michael Yeung said all 23 ground-floor residents had floodwater through their rooms and the majority had found somewhere else to stay until the place dried out.
“A few had stayed to help with the clean up. Thankfully, everyone had a place even if it was still in the building or somewhere else.”
On Tuesday, the boarding house was buzzing with fans and dehumidfiers, with doors and windows wide open to the southerly wind.
One of the residents who stayed to clean, but did not want to be named, said no one slept the night after the storm, with people bumping into each other in the hallway at “one o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock” in the morning.
He said he was particularly concerned for his more vulnerable neighbours, “older gentlemen”, who relied on the pension – one of whom was “ex-Loafers Lodge”.
After surviving the fatal boarding house fire in 2023, the resident considered it lucky the man was not home when the flood hit, so avoided a second traumatic escape in the dead of night.
Flooding outside Duckworth Lewis guesthouse in Wellington. RNZ / Rachel Helyer-Donaldson
With the power still running and fears about electricity mixing with the rapidly rising water, Spooner-Hokianga told RNZ it was a scary situation.
“I was really anxious when it all happened because I don’t have anywhere else really to go … what I have is what I own and I can’t afford to … replace it all. It was really stressful and I was a bit upset the other day.”
But he said it could have been worse.
“I’m just grateful that I’ve got a roof over my head and some fresh clothes and I’m clean and tidy, got some food in my belly.”
Edridge said the storm landed unevenly and the mission had glimpsed some “horrific personal circumstances”.
“People have pretty much lost everything they own.
“It happened so suddenly people didn’t have the chance to get prepared, so the trauma of that in addition to the loss that they’ve suffered – just creates literally a perfect storm.
“An ironic metaphor to use but that’s precisely what it is – the perfect storm of circumstances that makes their lives really, really difficult.”
He said it was a long road ahead for many flood victims and the best way people could help was to donate money.
Wellington City Council said its emergency response was still underway.
It said Civil Defence payments, as well as other options, were actively being considered and the council would provide an update soon on funds for emergency needs.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
