West Auckland flood victim's 'soul destroyed' as thieves steal from damaged house

Thursday, 21 October 2021

A woman hit hard by the West Auckland floods has been dealt another blow after thieves stole some of the only belongings she had left.

Helene Haysham, 51, said the flooding was “distressing” and the water came up to her chest.

It left her “soul destroyed”, she said, as nearly everything she owned was contaminated.

Helene Haysham’s home in West Auckland will be bulldozed as the floods caused it to be unsafe to live in.

“I lost everything that water touched.”

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During alert level 4 in August, West Auckland saw floods that caused significant damage to suburbs such as Kumeū and Henderson. (File photo)

Haysham’s Kāinga Ora home has been condemned as “unsafe” to live in due to rotting floors and a completely submerged power system.

Thieves recently stole all the belongings Haysham could salvage from her home.

The house is set to be bulldozed, and she has been put in emergency accommodation.

However, her misfortune has continued, with thieves targeting the damaged house, where she was storing her remaining belongings – mostly sentimental items.

“Thieves have been in there and stolen pretty much what I could salvage,” she said.

“It’s like the worst thing that could happen to you, lose everything that you had for the last 20 years, so it’s quite disturbing.”

Kāinga Ora regional director Taira Jones said the Crown agency was treating Haysham’s situation with “urgency”.

“While we have looked at some homes with Helene, we haven’t yet found a vacant one that fully meets her needs.”

Kāinga Ora had offered to cover the cost of storing Haysham’s remaining belongings, but the offer had not yet been taken up, Jones said.

Haysham, a sickness beneficiary, said she was feeling “lost” about her situation.

At one of the motels she was placed in, police attempted to issue a man with a Covid-19 breach notice, which was distressing, she said.

Living out of a suitcase wasn’t a nice experience, she said.

“It’s really hard for me to not be in my own comfort, around my own things, so living in a hotel is quite traumatic.”

Haysham did not have contents insurance.

A friend of hers has set up a Givealittle page to help her replace the items she lost.