Residents of neglected Branson Road endure winter in makeshift dwellings post-cyclone Gabrielle

Jim Cowan with dog Bonnie outside their temporary home in Waipaoa. Cowan has been displaced from his home following Cyclone Gabrielle. Picture by Liam Clayton

Residents of a “forgotten” Gisborne road are bracing for winter in caravans and makeshift living arrangements as they wait to get back into their homes.

Eighty-one-year-old Jim Cowan lives alone at Waipaoa, where he has been for 55 years. His children grew up there.

But following Cyclone Gabrielle, his house was yellow-stickered, forcing him to move out.

For the past few months he has lived out of a caravan with dog Bonnie while he waits for the insurance process to run its course on his house across the driveway.

At meal times, he makes his way to an adjacent shed where a microwave and fridge form a makeshift kitchen, surrounded by a plethora of tools, bolts and car memorabilia.

Hard of hearing and a man of few words, Cowan has a simple answer when asked to describe his situation — “not good”.

He spends his days working on tractors, and recalls he has now lived through three severe weather events in the region — a major flood in 1948, Cyclone Bola in 1988 and most recently, Cyclone Gabrielle in February.

His response to a question about how he keeps going through times of adversity is succinct.

“Just don’t give up.”

A few hundred metres down the road, Jim’s son Tony Cowan lives with partner Sarah Jones in a shed near their home which has also been yellow-stickered.

Next to the couple’s bed sits a bailing machine — a constant reminder of their displacement.

“We’re just waiting for the insurance to say what we can and can’t do,” Tony says.

“We moved into my sister’s place in town for a couple of weeks, then a friend’s place for a couple of weeks, and then had a couple of weeks in a caravan. This is the best we can do.”

The couple cook their meal every night on a barbecue just a few metres from where they sleep, and are showering at work.

But living in cramped conditions has proved the biggest challenge.

“The emotions wear a bit thin at times.”

The three live on Branson Rd, a rural area about 20 minutes from Gisborne.

On the day Local Democracy Reporting visited, a group of residents gathered to share their concerns about the state of their road, which one said felt neglected.

Dave Hunt is still in the process of clearing silt from his house which flooded in February’s deluge.

In the past couple of weeks the disappearance of the road’s sign  — which was only hanging on to its pole by a thread — summed up the feeling on Branson Road, he said.

“They call us the forgotten street.”

Last Thursday, some Gisborne residents received welcome news when the Government announced it would stump up cash to help buy out 17 homeowners in areas where there was a further risk of flooding.

An unspecified amount of Category 2 properties — where interventions were deemed feasible to manage risk — would also receive help from both the government and council to build flood protection.

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said the region needed “significant help”, and the council would work closely with the government to help the community move fast.