Gisborne community rallies around family who lost it all.
In the early hours of February 14, Marc Alexander and his wife Monica woke up in their Makaraka home to find it flooded by Cyclone Gabrielle.
“It was two in the morning, we went straight through to our stuff and just started lifting it out of the water to protect anything we could,” said Marc.
He, Monica and their two children Matthew (6) and Michael (2) had moved to Gisborne from Scotland just months earlier.
Marc had secured a job at McCannics but, because of Covid-19, had to delay moving to New Zealand.
“It’s been so stressful for us the last three years, waiting to come and put our life on hold to try and fulfil a dream.”
The weekend before Cyclone Gabrielle, a container full of family possessions arrived from Scotland and they spent that weekend unloading boxes into their rental property.
After the cyclone, they lost wedding and family photos, household items such as a lounge suite, television, fridge-freezer and Monica’s professional camera equipment.
With no electricity, the couple tried to save what they could, but once daylight broke the extent of the flood became evident. The family van and work vehicle were botunderwaterer.
“You can lose all that stuff. But as long as the four of us were safe, it’s the main thing. All that can be replaceable, we can’t,” Marc said.
The flood water around the property was so high that the family had to climb out of the window into a dinghy.
While the family contemplated returning to Scotland, they could not book flights because of power and internet outages, so they decided to stay.
Marc is thankful to the Gisborne community for helping his family get back on their feet.
“A lot of people in the community have helped us, my work helped us hugely and a lot of friends helped by dropping food off, asking if we need any clothing, blankets, or anything for the kids.”
The family was also a recipient of the Pak Your Pantry initiative, which helps families who have lost their homes to Cyclone Gabrielle. They are given Pak’nSave vouchers to replace essential items to stock their pantry.
Pak’nSave Gisborne owner Brookes Stewart said the North Island Pak’nSave owners decided to contribute funds to the areas affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.
SuperGrans Tairāwhiti Trust is also working with the Gisborne District Council and Kāinga Ora to distribute the vouchers.
SuperGrans general manager Linda Coulston was blown away by the support: “Within the first three days, national Foodstuffs gave $20,000 credit. Our local Pak’nSave gave us another $10,000 and then we received $65,000 of vouchers to distribute.”
Several weeks on, SuperGrans is still helping families affected by the cyclone, working with Tairāwhiti Civil Defence to fly food parcels into areas with those in need.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air. Photo / Supplied
