By Lauren Crimp of RNZ
When Cyclone Gabrielle smashed through Hawke’s Bay, civil defence controller Ian Macdonald was stranded in the South Island after a tramping trip. He arrived to chaos at Queenstown airport on Tuesday, February 14, with all North Island flights cancelled. There was no word from his family.
After a lengthy journey home - including a stint at the national Emergency Coordination Centre in the Beehive’s basement - Macdonald readied himself for what would be the biggest emergency response of his career, involving 1600 people over two and a half months.
A year on from the disaster, he sat down with Hawke’s Bay reporter Lauren Crimp to describe that first chaotic week.
*This interview has been edited for brevity. Some topics were off the table, due to the ongoing inquiry into the emergency response in Hawke’s Bay.