Pam and John Trotter watch over their Twyford property from their caravan in the front yard while they are removing flood damaged household items. Photo / Paul Taylor
Pam and John Trotter watch over their Twyford property from their caravan in the front yard while they are removing flood damaged household items. Photo / Paul Taylor
Carpenters from Levin and a cycling group from throughout the region are some of those who are helping Twyford residents clean up in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.
John and Pam Trotter, and Iain Trotter, were forced to flee their Twyford homes - which were within 300 metres of each other - and drive through floodwaters that came sweeping in from multiple directions.
“There was probably over a metre of water on each side and flowing quite quickly,” John said.
Iain and his wife were able to stay with friends at Bridge Pa, while Pam and John stayed elsewhere in their caravan and returned with it to watch over and clean up their flooded property.
Pam said they came back to find silt on their benchtops, among other damage left behind by the floods.
As well as his family home, Iain had 5.5 hectares of grapes and asparagus that were impacted by the flooding, while John and Pam lost 14 chickens and a pet lamb, Nigel.
“We opened the gates so he could get out if he was able to, but Nigel is gone and the chook house, there is no way they would have survived,” Pam said.
She said there had been an amazing amount of help from within and outside the community.
“We got a phone call from somebody in Rotary, because one of our neighbours is in Rotary, to say ‘we’ve got these carpenters up from Levin’. They were retired carpenters who were happy to help and they came in and stripped the Gib out.”
They said they had been told that more people with heavy machinery may be on their way from Levin to also help clean up in the area.
Iain Trotter with family dog Jack at Pam and John's property in Twyford. Photo / Paul Taylor
Iain said that a lot of people were helping but they would like to have more communication or contact with police and Civil Defence staff.
Club members of the Recycled Rebels cycling group did not want to be named but were present helping carry out flood-damaged furniture and other household items in the clean-up of another property in Twyford.
One member from Havelock North said they usually cycle through the area and had decided to help out with the clean-up after the cyclone, with more members coming to assist on Thursday.
Another Twyford resident who did not wish to be named said a lot of people had already put their hands up to help out.
A Recycled Rebels member, right, helping clean up the property of a Twyford resident, who did not wish to be named. Photo / Paul Taylor
The resident had seen brimming stream waters nearby on Tuesday, but he was not concerned until rapid flooding from the river in a different direction reached the house.
He said he was about to get onto his roof on Tuesday afternoon when a neighbour rescued him.
“We launched right there from the edge of my decking in my neighbour’s jetboat.”
A family friend of the resident, Peter Wilkins, pointed out how the floodwaters reached about 1.8 metres on the property at the peak of the flooding.
