A bridge in Gisborne is a mangled wreck following Cyclone Gabrielle. Video / George Heard / Supplied
The son of a 64-year-old farmer who died in Gisborne floodwaters said three attempts were made to save his life as water levels rose like “an inland tsunami” - going from ankle deep to almost 2 metres in 20 minutes.
John Coates, 64, died in the floodwaters that engulfed his Te Karaka home early on Tuesday.
His son Chris Coates spoke to the Herald today at the property where his father was unable to be rescued from flood waters after 2am.
“During evacuation there was an incident, and there were three attempts at trying to rescue him but it was dark, there was water flowing through here,” Chris Coates said.
“It went from ankle deep to vehicles floating in 20 minutes … It was like an island tsunami of water coming in, basically.
“The water levels were rising so rapidly. When you think of the catchment, the amount of water that you have to put into this catchment, to this area … that is an insane amount of water.”
Coates said that from the time they knew the area was flooding to the time they realised the “need to action” was just 15-20 minutes.
“The timeframe, the severity of it, we’ve never seen anything to this extent. The amount of water that was located in this area has made [Cyclone] Bola look like a storm in a teacup.”
Chris Coates was stuck in the Waikato on Tuesday night but drove into the Gisborne region shortly after, knowing the back routes intimately.
“It’s tragic. The hardest part is just being able to communicate,” he said.
“It’s not until you fully appreciate when you’re on the ground how bad the communications are but I think it’s an eye-opener for everyone here how bad … more needs to be done. I think it’s just an eye-opener how vulnerable everyone is.”
Police confirmed today John Robert Dudley Coates was the man found dead in floodwaters on his Te Karaka, Gisborne property. Photo / Supplied
Coates was a farmer and ran an earth-moving company, working in roading, construction and forestry.
The Coates family has been in the Te Karaka area for over 100 years and has spanned three generations.
Te Karaka locals described John Coates as a well-known and beloved member of the community.
“He was a huge member of the community. John Coates Earthmoving, he does all the foresty, roading for all of the Mangatu. Talk to people around here, everyone will know that name,” Te Karaka local Shawn Smyth said.
Another Te Karaka local said: “The Coates name’s a big name in the area”.
The property in Te Karaka where John Coates died due to rising flood waters from Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / George Heard
Coates’ house is near the Waipaoa River, the banks of which are now littered with logs and parts of which had collapsed.
The fields nearby were muddy expanses still partially flooded.
In a 2013 interview, Coates reflected on his family’s presence in the Te Karaka area.
“Good people live in the area. I think a lot of it’s heredity, our family roots if you’d like to put it that way. It’s not a bad place to live, it’s a good place to live,” John Coates said.
“It’s not the thriving metropolis of some places but in its heyday it was a great little town. I went to school here and still know a lot of people around today that I went to school with, I went to primary school with. You know, you bang into guys you haven’t seen for a few years.
“They know I’m still here and I think it’s quite a nice thing to be tied to an area for a long time. My parents’ friends come back and say ‘you people are still living here, it’s quite amazing’. Some people find that quite hard to believe.”
