Mike Brown inside all that remains of his and Sue Brown's home in Pakowhai. Photo / Paul Taylor
Mike Brown inside all that remains of his and Sue Brown's home in Pakowhai. Photo / Paul Taylor
Sue Brown and her partner Mike had no warning of the danger rapidly approaching their Pakowhai home as they packed their campervan on the morning of February 14.
They didn’t know that they would soon lose their home, belongings and four cats.
The Tuesday morning started normally for the Browns - they had noticed how much rain had fallen and the loss of power, but it didn’t feel like anything they hadn’t been through before.
“I think I even took a photo and posted it online saying ‘oh my god that was a lot of rain’, but in no sense did I feel worried since we had that much before, even as recently as January,” Brown said.
She said one of their neighbours told Mike that they would get out because the water was getting high and they decided to follow suit in the campervan and see what was going on across the rest of the region.
“We never thought there was any urgency to it,” she said.
“We got probably not even a third of the way down Sissons Rd and we were just engulfed in water.”
They decided to hike back after getting stuck, but water began to pour in as soon as they opened the door.
“My dog does not like water, so I had to pick her up and carry her,” she said.
“Mike was trying to dial 111 and we were just getting no response.”
When they returned she put her four cats, Bob, Sam, Snow and Teddy, in the rafters of the garage where they often slept, which is higher than the top of their one-storey home.
“They were crying and meowing at me as if to say ‘what the friggen hell is going on’?”
They tried several more times to get through to 111 with no success.
An ocean of flood water had risen over the roof of Sue and Mike Brown's Pakowhai home before they and their dog Jazz were rescued by helicopter. Their four cats Bob, Sam, Snow and Teddy were not able to make it. Photo / Paul Taylor
They were forced on top of the roof by the rising water, where they were trapped for four hours before a helicopter came to rescue them at about 5pm.
By that time, the water was over the top of their home and had reached the apex of their garage roof.
The Browns believe Mike’s friend’s son Ant, who works at Whanganui Civil Defence, was able to notify local Civil Defence that they were on the roof and needed help after they contacted his father.
Jazz was able to get out with the Browns, but they lost Bob, Sam, Snow and Teddy.
The Ministry for Primary Industries was the coordinator of the animal welfare response following Cyclone Gabrielle.
Carolyn Guy, MPI’s director of animal health and welfare, said they know there were significant animal and livestock losses, but it is hard to identify overall numbers as animals caught in floodwaters were often washed a long way from their farm or home property.
“Farmers and others did their best with the warnings they had, but in some circumstances, the volume of water was extraordinary,” Guy said.
Cats staying at SPCA's Hastings Centre, which is currently at capacity. More cats will be transferred to Wellington to ease pressure next week. Photo / Ian Cooper
SPCA area manager Bruce Wills said the biggest thing they had noticed was a 15 per cent increase in the stray cat intake this year so far in Napier and Hastings, along with about a 15 per cent decrease in adoptions.
“Our centres at both Napier and Hastings are both currently at capacity and about 20 per cent up on what they would normally be at this time of year.”
He said the cyclone recovery and clean up is likely a factor in why adoption numbers were down.
“Adopting a pet, perhaps, just isn’t a priority at the moment for most people.”
He said they had relieved some of the pressure by transferring 60 cats so far to Wellington for adoption, with more going down soon.
He said they had not noticed too much of a difference in the number of dogs coming in after Cyclone Gabrielle, but their field inspectors have had to deal with a lot of cases involving injured or lost livestock.
“The bulk of them have been found and most returned to their owners, but a few we are still trying to find owners for.”
Brown said Pakowhai residents were “completely let down” by police, Civil Defence and the council during Cyclone Gabrielle.
“Police wouldn’t let Alex, my nephew, in to help, but never thought to come and tell us to evacuate,” she said.
“We got no notification from Civil Defence, not once did someone mention Pakowhai and for that, someone should be held accountable.”
