'Everybody's out, everybody's safe': Riwaka family flees floodwaters
Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Cameron Noble, his wife, Andrea, son, Oscar, 11 months, and dog, Rosie, left their Main Rd Riwaka home on Tuesday evening when the water started coming into the bedroom.
With just a few belongings on them, they waded out of the floodwaters near an overflowing and raging Little Sydney Stream to seek refuge with Noble's parents.
'We've been here four years,' said an emotional Noble as the family walked to their car. 'We're probably one of the lowest along this strip of properties.'
Although it was hard to be forced out of their house 'everybody's out, everybody's safe', Noble said.
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In his dad's arms, Oscar was full of smiles. 'He's having fun, the dog's having fun,' Noble said.
Just a few doors along, on the corner, Heidi Grainger was hoping to be able to remain in her home overnight.
'We'll see how it goes,' she said. 'If it gets bad, then I guess we'll have to move.'
The home had flooded before, 'but this is probably the worst'. Her family started to move their belongings upstairs when the water arrived.
Along the road towards Motueka, Julie and Darryl Thomas were wading through the water to empty their flooded garage.
Julie Thomas said the water arrived quickly from the front and back of her property of 47 years.
'We had tea and then we looked out and we saw it was coming in the back but we didn't realise it was pouring in through here,' she said from the front of her home. 'The house will be fine, it's only the basement.'
A few doors along, Billie Smith, 14 and her brother, Hayden Smith, 12, were cruising along their flooded driveway in an inflatable boat, something they did not often get the chance to use, they said.