After the flood: Napier artist Freeman White still months away from returning to home buried by landslip

Artist Freeman White has been "reliving" the devastating and traumatic events of the Napier flood for the past year as he repairs the damage to his property. Photo / Warren Buckland

One year on from the devastating Napier floods, artist Freeman White is still months away from returning home and finds heavy rain events "triggering". After a landslip buried the back part of his house, he has a new understanding of the devastating impacts stormwater runoff can have.

He and his partner Lucy and their two daughters have lived in the Brewster St house on Bluff Hill Mataruahou for 12 years, lovingly restoring the old villa.

The evening of the floods he was standing on a ladder, "absolutely soaked through" as he attempted to clear the gutters on his house.

Job done, he watched in shock as the entire bank above his house slipped, sending 250 tonnes of mud and debris into the courtyard just below the ladder he was on.

Napier artist Freeman White said he still finds heavy rain events triggering and his heart went out to those affected by last week's flooding in Gisborne. Photo / Warren Buckland

"If I had been where it was 30 seconds before, I would have been buried.

"I couldn't believe my eyes."

The mud covered the entire back of the house, blocking the light from the windows and sending his wife running out after she heard the noise.

White escaped death a second time when, after finally climbing down, a large stump came hurtling past where he had been standing.

"It was basically like the whole world was ending.

"I almost died three times in 20 minutes."

Freeman White, partner Lucy and their two daughters have lived in the lovingly restored Brewster St villa on Bluff Hill Mataruahou for 12 years. Photo / Warren Buckland

The family fled to his father's house in Clive. The house was deemed uninhabitable and for the past year, the family has been living in a one-bedroom property on the hill.

White said weather like the recent thunderstorm in Napier still made him nervous and he had been "reliving the trauma" of the flood every day for the past few months as he worked on repairing the damage to his property.

"I can't fix the house until the land is fixed [secured]."

While they had made "huge progress", the past two weeks' heavy rain had been a setback.

The back part of Freeman White's home, including this courtyard area, was completely buried in about 250 tonnes of mud when a landslip occurred in last year's flood event. Photo / Warren Buckland

He found Gisborne's own flood event last week "triggering" and said it was proof this type of weather couldn't be considered a "one in 250 year" event anymore.

"My heart goes out to them."

White said people needed educating about the "devastating effects of stormwater".

"This is what can happen when you have stormwater inundation over a period of time."

He wanted more initiatives by councils and the EQC (Earthquake Commission) encouraging people to upgrade their private stormwater systems.

While they had made "huge progress", the recent rain had been a setback with steel reinforcements for the retaining wall only to go in next week. Photo / Warren Buckland

There was also a significant shortfall in the money he was paid out by EQC and the cost of rebuilding, which he wanted to see reviewed and the gap closed.

"This whole experience has given me a greater awareness," although he added it hadn't been a positive experience.

White hoped work on the retaining wall would be completed next week, allowing him to begin work on other parts of the property.

He felt grateful to still have a place to call home and hoped to restore it to its former glory.

"This our home."