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Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Napier man now living on edge of large slip - 'There's nothing you can do'

Hawkes Bay Today
9 Nov, 2020 06:43 PM5 mins to read

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Video wrap of some interesting personal accounts of being caught in the Napier flood. Video Warren Buckland.

Hospital Hill resident Chris Dale is living on the edge.

Some time after 5pm yesterday, his back yard slid down the hill of his Havelock Rd home.

A chunk of land about the size of a tennis court disappeared, wrecking Dale's deck, realigning a footpath and carrying away a garden shed.

Built in 1929, the two-storey bungalow that survived the 1931 Napier earthquake was left dangerously close to the edge of a large, muddy bank.

Dale now has his fingers crossed the home will survive Monday's storm, and not follow his garden shed down the Hill.

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Dale told Hawke's Bay Today the home had not been flooded, but he has concerns about the structural damage caused by the slip, and the stability of the land.

About 4pm yesterday, council staff had visited the street and assessed the flood risk was minimal.

What no one knew, was that his land was about to slide away.

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Today, Dale, who has lived in the home for 12 years, said he remained concerned about the house sliding down the bank, but said ultimately "there is nothing you can do ''.

''I didn't stay here the night,
the back yard had gone and it's pretty munted.

"There's been heaps of offers of help. (My) work offered to send everyone around, but there's just nothing you could do.''

Next door, Roberta Otis, from California, has lived on the street for four years.
She too, is worried about potential structural damage.

"We are worried the carport and driveway will go - it's been undercut by water.''

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The torrential rain that saturated Napier - turning streets into rivers - is the second wettest day, on record, in 150 years.

Locals are waking up to the aftermath of yesterday's deluge; which resulted in people having to evacuate and more than 3000 homes without power.

And there's another deluge forecast from 3pm this afternoon from Hawkes Bay up to the Coromandel.

The Mayor last night declared a state of emergency last night.

Nick Marshall of Marewa said it was both amazing and sad to see the state of his neighbourhood.

"Just devastation," he said outside his house on Douglas McLean Avenue.

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"There'll be a lot of unhappy families out there."

Carlyle St evacuated

Carlyle St resident David Bush had to park his car well down the road when he came home from work at 5.45pm. Photo / Warren Buckland
Carlyle St resident David Bush had to park his car well down the road when he came home from work at 5.45pm. Photo / Warren Buckland

Liz Dunn from Carlyle St said water rushed down Lucknow Terrace from the Havelock Rd slip.

Mud had rushed down the hill and settled in the terrace so about seven residents were spending the day digging the mud from the street and collecting it in piles on the side.

Dunn said she hoped the council would come with a digger to take the mud away before the predicted Tuesday afternoon rain.

She anticipated flooding again as drains were blocked with mud.

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Carlyle street resident David Bush had to park his car well down the road when he came home from work at 5.45pm

The police and fire brigade were warning people to evacuate, and Bush was able to get his partner and son out of their home, and safely to friends.

The water was up to his 14-year-old son's hips as he waded through flood waters outside their home, which escaped flood damage.

Bush said they came back at 4.30am today and will be cleaning debris from the driveway today.

Bush estimated more than 100 cars had driven through the street last night, causing a wake that left ''a hell of a mess".

Carlyle St resident Holly McCleary didn't have to evacuate as her house but had packed a bag for her two-year-old ready to go.

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She told her dad to move his car off the street - her dad at first "thought I was being dramatic". The driveway flooded soon after.

"I was anxious. Really anxious. I've never experienced anything like that before and I don't think many of us have."

Kennedy Park Holiday Resort took in 17 people evacuated from their homes on Monday night.

Amber McArthur, a member of the New Zealand Red Cross's Disaster Welfare Support Team (DWST) assisting the families there said they had mostly come from the area around Latham Street.

She said the ages of those evacuated ranged from very young children right up to an 87-year-old man.

"He was worried because he forgot to lock the front door," McArthur said.

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"He told us the water was lapping at his bed every time a car came past."

She said everyone was pretty traumatized and struggled to get much sleep overnight.

This morning DWST have been heading back to the households of the evacuees to retrieve medication, glasses, and other essentials people left behind in the rush to get out.

McArthur said none of those evacuated had talked about the prospect of more rain this afternoon, and were taking the chance to rest and calm down a bit for now.

"They were all just thankful someone came," she said.
"Lots of tears, lots of hugs."

A kayaker slides past a stranded vehicle in Whitmore Park, Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor.
A kayaker slides past a stranded vehicle in Whitmore Park, Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor.

Napier City Council this morning said the town's drinking water was so far unaffected.

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"We've been advised by the HB Civil Defence Emergency Management Group and Hawke's Bay DHB that there's no evidence of contamination," a
spokesperson said.

Latham St, Marewa, was one of several streets still under water in Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor
Latham St, Marewa, was one of several streets still under water in Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor

"The water supply will be tested throughout the day and we'll update you if the situation changes."

The DHB is keeping a "close eye" on the situation, and is working closely with civil defence and council.

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