Residents of a grieving Hawke’s Bay community fear their neighbours will start carrying weapons as recent looting prompts plans to block access to the village with concrete barriers.
Tensions are rising in the Puketapu community west of Napier after looters were discovered attempting to ransack a property not far from the village centre late last night.
Now, locals believe they must install concrete roadblocks and guard them overnight to stop looters if they don’t see more support from police and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).
Police have confirmed to the Herald that there will be more officers on foot in Puketapu this evening following the looting.
Puketapu and the surrounding areas were among the worst hit by Cyclone Gabrielle on Tuesday, with countless homes, vehicles, orchards, and businesses destroyed by floodwaters from various overflowing rivers.
Yesterday, the village learned one of their own had perished in the cyclone - 59-year-old mother Marie Greene, who was reportedly found deceased in the roof cavity of her Dartmoor Rd cottage.
People in Puketapu were becoming increasingly frustrated by what they perceived to be a lack of support from local Civil Defence and emergency management staff, as well as the NZDF.
Five days after the cyclone hit, locals attested they hadn’t seen regular assistance or monitoring from those co-ordinating the response.
18 February, 2023
Members of the Puketapu community gather to discuss creating and manning roadblocks in the area to stop potential looters after Hawke's Bay was smashed by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Zealand Herald photograph by Mike Scott
All accepted the demand for emergency responders was monumental, but with water stocks running dangerously low, their situation was desperate.
Residents told the Herald around five people in a silver, flat-deck ute were found looting a property along Puketapu Rd about 9pm last night. They scarpered as locals approached, and it was unclear whether anything was stolen.
“The looting’s going to get quite scary,” Puketapu Hotel owner Mary Danielson predicted.
“It’s not people around here, no way.”
Many properties have been left vulnerable to looters following the floods. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Others expressed their own concerns that people would take matters into their own hands, with one man suggesting some were already travelling with firearms as a precaution.
“People are going to arm themselves,” one resident said.
An urgent community meeting was called this afternoon in the township, where roughly 50 residents discussed how they could prevent looting.
Security was the central issue after last night’s incident, and it was proposed roadblocks be erected and manned through the night by members of the community.
“We just need people for security at nights,” one person said.
Two people were appointed to list those who were willing to patrol the roadblocks.
Puketapu residents discuss security options at a community meeting this afternoon. Photo / Mike Scott
Another man, who arrived shortly after the meeting began, said he had spoken with emergency response representatives, expressing the community’s need for security, but said it was unlikely help in that form would come from the army or police.
“My message to [one emergency service person] was, ‘We cleared the roads, so we can block them’.”
He proposed that concrete blocks should be placed on the road edge with a truck or tractor parked in between. The man indicated he had already sourced some blocks already.
Many people were in favour of the idea, which was put to a vote. The frustration and stress caused by the cyclone and then the looting was palpable.
One man suggested installing an evening curfew, but that was quickly dismissed as others explained that trips into town were becoming more regular as power was slowly restored to Napier, and stocks of essentials were running low.
Many bridges around the Puketapu area were taken out by the raging floodwaters. Photo / Mike Scott
Other than security, rubbish disposal and health were discussed at the roughly 20-minute-long meeting.
On rubbish, there were conflicting accounts of what waste could be picked up or disposed of.
“We’re still trying to find out what the truth is,” one man said.
One local woman who identified herself as a registered nurse spoke alongside another local woman from the Taradale Medical Centre and said a side-by-side farm vehicle had been kitted out with medical supplies.
The latter urged people to wash once a day, as many were attempting to remove the sludge and silt that had filled their homes on Tuesday.
“[Cuts] on your feet are going to go septic,” she warned.
Cyclone Gabrielle’s death toll reached nine yesterday, and that includes a child and two firefighters.
