Heart-wrench at total loss

By JAMES GARDINER

Flood victim Chris Rogers feels as though she has lost her family.

The floodwaters that swamped her home at Scotts Ferry on the northern banks of the Rangitikei River a week ago destroyed everything in her home, including two photo albums of "family members who no longer exist".

"I'm the only one left," Mrs Rogers said yesterday as she watched her life's possessions carried out of her house and dumped.

Nearly every home in the tiny community has a similar story to tell and the future of the settlement is unclear. Local authorities have yet to decide whether to permit rebuilding.

Stopbanks built to protect the community ended up being a major part of the problem after the river burst banks further upstream. The water flowed into Scotts Ferry, flooded all 50 houses and stayed there.

Residents were allowed back on Saturday and their worst fears were realised.

"I was totally blown away," Mrs Rogers said yesterday. "I couldn't believe it."

Fully insured, she has been told the house she has had for 30 years must be stripped right back but can be rebuilt if the council allows it.

"I can replace everything," she said, before realising that was not quite the case. "I'm saddest about my photos and souvenirs ... "

Scotts Ferry resembled a war zone yesterday. The muddy streets are piled with tonnes of ruined household goods and there was a smell of sewage and stagnant water.

About 40 soldiers from Linton military camp helped residents to cart their belongings on to the roadside where they were loaded into skip bins for dumping.

Firefighters from Palmerston North and Wanganui hosed the mud out of the bare houses and pumped water away. Police maintained a roadblock to ensure only emergency services, residents and those helping them were allowed in.

Wally and Nancy Munro, 30-year residents, said they were devastated at what had happened to their home.

"We knew it would be bad but we didn't expect it quite like this," Mr Munro said.

Majorie Woodruff said she was still looking for one of her two cats missing since the flood and was in no mood to start trying to clean up her house.

"I would like a bulldozer right through the whole lot," she said. "Then I will rebuild. I'm quite happy to stay, if we are allowed to."

Mrs Woodruff said Scotts Ferry, her home for 20 years, was a great place to live with a supportive community.

Lisa O'Shanassy, from Marton, who was helping in the cleanup said it was "heart-wrenching" for people to see their homes and possessions scooped up and dropped into a truck.

"A lot of the older people don't want to come back," she said. "They just can't face it."