Cyclone Gabrielle: Flaxmere leader Henare O’Keefe on hope in face of disaster in Hawke’s Bay

It’s been over a week since Cyclone Gabrielle’s blitzkrieg of wind and water.

Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for, vast numbers of homes and businesses have been destroyed and hundreds of thousands of tonnes of toxic silt covers the landscape.

But Flaxmere community leader Henare O’Keefe (Ngāti Kahungunu) said after all whānau have endured, they are still here.

“We’ve had Hurricane Bola, hail storms, Whakatu Tomoana Freezing Works shut down, Wattie’s shut down, Morrisons shut down... and look, here we are, we’re still here.”

O’Keefe said “the love, compassion and unity of the community; the provision of food, clothes, manaaki, you name it, it’s been coming by the truckloads”.

Despite the desolation, O’Keefe is excited by the community’s unity, collaboration and willingness to help each other and people in need.

Hastings district councillor Henare O'Keefe says the Flaxmere community will bounce back. Photo / File

O’Keefe said Flaxmere didn’t wait for the Government and council to start the Civil Defence process.

“We weren’t waiting for any of that. We just got on with it.”

O’Keefe said he has seen more than 380 people needing emergency accommodation and supplies and, to help people through the tough situation, he is trying to be a beacon of hope.

“I take my guitar wherever I go, that’s my role, that’s my gift, cook the barbecue. Others are more entrenched in the paru, but my gift is to galvanise the spirits and the wairua of them.”

• Please donate - how you can help the victims of Cyclone Gabrielle; NZ Herald teams up with Red Cross
• If you have been unable to contact a friend or family member - or if you have fled the storm and want others to know you are safe - you can post a message here on the NZ Herald’s community noticeboard.