Elderly isolated in apartment buildings as more than 200 lifts out, Brown says

Thursday, 2 February 2023

People, including elderly, are isolated and potentially trapped at the top of apartment buildings, Brown says. (File photo)

According to Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, “a number of people” – including the elderly – are isolated and potentially trapped in apartment buildings across Auckland because more than 200 lifts aren’t working due to torrential rain earlier this week.

But, according to Auckland Emergency Management, no requests for assistance from people who may be trapped or whose welfare may be at risk have been received.

Age Concern Auckland had also not heard of any elderly Aucklanders trapped or isolated as a result of lift outages.

Speaking to the AM Show on Thursday morning, Brown said that it had come to his attention that “a number of people” were isolated in their apartments because of broken lifts.

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“Some elderly people who are quite a few storeys up have been missed by the welfare and the emergency people,” Brown said.

He said that Auckland Emergency Management hadn’t realised it an issue and that once he’d brought it to their attention on Wednesday it had started to be addressed.

Do you know anyone affected by this issue? Email katie.ham@stuff.co.nz or karanama.ruru@stuff.co.nz

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“Yesterday I brought it to their attention, and it’s to their attention now.

“I knew one day before, but I didn’t know how widespread it was,” he said.

Brown was asked whether he knew exactly how many elderly people were living in high rises with broken lifts – but he said he was “not sure really”.

'Having brought it to [Auckland Emergency Management’s] attention that’s the sort of stuff they should know.”

However, on Thursday morning, Auckland Emergency Management deputy controller Rachel Kelleher said that although the team were aware of lift outages, they had not received any requests for assistance from people who may be trapped or whose welfare may be at risk.

She urged anyone who needs help with lifts – or any other flood related issues – to call 0800 22 22 00 and ask for help.

Kelleher did not confirm whether Auckland Emergency Management knew about the issue before Brown told them.

The lifts are out in Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s apartment block, he says. He has been having to climb 16 flights of stairs to reach his home.

Age Concern Auckland CEO Kevin Lamb said they have not had “any calls” about elderly people experiencing difficulties because of lift outages.

Rather, the biggest problem Lamb had seen the floods cause for elderly people was a strain on their mental health.

“Coming off the back of three years of Covid-19, from what we’ve seen, a lot of older people are experiencing a lot of fear and anxiety.

“Certainly, the reality is when it comes to these kinds of emergencies, we’re ill-prepared to support society's most vulnerable – of which elderly are one – but lifts aren’t the major issue.”

Speaking on Thursday afternoon at the site of a bach that collapsed as a result of a slip in Manukau Heads earlier this week, Brown said he has been having to climb 16 storeys to his apartment since Friday’s flooding.

“Knackered at the end of the day, I get home after working from 5am till midnight and have to climb 16 storeys, because my lift isn’t working.

“Lots of apartments haven’t got lifts going – as soon as I realised how many there were I told someone,” Brown said.

Stuff has approached the mayor’s office for clarification around how many people he understands are isolated because of lift outages and how he has reached that figure.

Stuff has also requested an interview with Brown every day this week, however all requests have been declined.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand and police were approached for comment, but directed Stuff to Auckland Emergency Management.