A pivotal visit by St Vincent de Paul Napier council member Dan Sussmilch helped the organisation develop a multifaceted strategy to offer immediate relief and assist in facilitating the community's long-term rehabilitation.

As part of its community involvement in Wairoa, St Vincent de Paul is helping clean up and restore 25 homes.

With specialised silt crews employed for this essential work, St Vincent de Paul is allocating funds for necessities such as digger fuel, carpentry supplies and building materials, as well as covering the costs of essential plumbing and electrical works.

In addition to the repair and restoration, Vinnies has distributed hampers to 320 families.

Filled with goods purchased from local businesses, who themselves were impacted by the cyclone, the move is designed both to provide essential aid and help rejuvenate the local economy.

Ongoing commitment

St Vincent de Paul's commitment to helping Wairoa recover is ongoing.

The collective effort, particularly the invaluable contribution of volunteers, is pivotal in the management and execution of relief operations.

"The involvement of Vinnie's volunteers embodies the spirit of communal solidarity in overcoming adversity," a St Vincent de Paul member told CathNews.

As the recovery journey progresses, the Napier branch of St Vincent de Paul remains resolute in its mission to deliver critical support, highlighting the effective results of united action.

"Last year St Vincent de Paul Napier also assisted those affected by the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle," said Christine Tong, area president of St Vincent de Paul Napier.

"We were extremely grateful for the Funds Appeal launched throughout New Zealand by our St Vincent de Paul Society's National Office and the wonderful generosity shown during this extremely difficult time", she said.

Lotto millions sit with Internal Affairs

The government Cyclone Gabrielle Appeal Fund received $11.7m from the special Lotto draw in March 2023 and was bolstered by more than $1.7m in public donations - plus interest earned over the past 12 months.

The money sits with the Department of Internal Affairs - unspent.

Those wanting to know where the Lotto draw and public donation funds will go are set to get answers sometime in mid-February.

Sources

• Supplied
• Newstalk ZB

Like many places in Wairoa's North Clyde area, St Therese's was swamped.

Silt got into everything and did its worst.

The same happened at the marae next door - and to numerous homes and properties.

Everything may have been under water and silt or swept into the river, but people were wonderfully helpful, Br Denis O'Brien SM (pictured) says.

Memories of the flood's suddenness and speed continue to amaze him.

His voice still sounds startled when he recalls how fast the water rose and the fence in front of the church was picked up and dumped across the road.

A big piece out the front wire gate is still somewhere in the paddock.

The water and silt got found its way into the chapel, even though the doors and windows were shut. It's been swept out now, but the wall cavities are probably holding on to a fair amount of silt.

O'Brien says it'll just have to stay there until the insurance company has decided what to do.

Individuals, families, the Council and businesses pulled together. Willing volunteers O'Brien can't praise enough turned up.

A Mormon family who used to live across the road from the church came back to help clean up St Therese's (locally known as the marae chapel) and the adjacent marae complex.

They came straight away, O'Brien says.

He says there wouldn't usually be so many people around during the working week, but big local employer QRS (the Council-owned Quality Roading and Services) closed its operations and gave staff a chance to look after themselves and others.

Their help was desperately needed.

Over 100 North Clyde families had their homes flooded. Most weren't insured. Many others in the valleys around them weren't either.

Mud surrounds the Easter Candle

Many others came too - the QRS workers and their big machinery, individuals and families worked, cleared, and sorted.

Liam Greer, who is the Palmerston North Catholic diocese General Manager visited.

Just how much it will cost to right any ongoing concerns with the little Catholic chapel and what sort of insurance payout can be expected are questions for the future.

At the time of writing, Greer told CathNews he was waiting for the builder's and insurer's reports.

Until he's seen these, he can't comment, he says.

Washed in silt; organ has seen better days

Meantime, O'Brien says the parish is collecting money, as are various other local organisations. Just how it will be spent isn't clear yet.

It will go where the need is judged greatest; a group, including local taiwhenua and council representatives, will decide how to apportion it, O'Brien says.

The same will apply to funds the diocese raises.

He explains that the diocese is just waiting to be told where and how to distribute it.

O'Brien suggested that the big question is where all the tradies are going to come from to do all the skilled work.

Until various essential skilled jobs are done, families are squashing together.

Source

• Shine TV

Renewing his appeal for Turkey and Syria earthquake victims, Francis also turned his attention to New Zealand.

"I am close to the people of New Zealand, who have been hit in recent days by a devastating cyclone.

"Brothers and sisters, let us not forget those who suffer and let our charity be attentive, let it be a concrete charity!"

He made the comments during his Angelus message at the Vatican on Sunday.

Francis' proximity to the people of New Zealand was followed up in a news story in Vatican News.

Grateful to hear of Pope Francis' closeness, the Catholic parish of Napier Parish Priest, Fr Barry Scannell SM acknowledges the devastation and serious impact on the lives of many.

Scannell told CathNews that understandably while numbers at Sunday Mass were down this week, those who were able to attend were very mindful of the loss of life, those missing and the suffering of many.

"Cyclone Gabrielle will put a huge strain on the community and take a long time to recover," he told CathNews.

He said he was grateful for his trusty old transistor radio, but it was not until he could see the pictures and get back into the community to visit people, that Cyclone Gabrielle's devastation became very real.

Scannell said that washed-out bridges and roads in and out of Napier, and initially no electricity, mobile phone or internet communication, isolated people from family and elsewhere in the country and around the world.

He said the isolation proved challenging both for those in Napier and loved ones elsewhere and while most now have phone connectivity, not everyone has such a basic need as electricity.

Scannell says generally everyone is pitching in, everyone is helping each other.

Further up the east coast, Wairoa Parish Priest Rob Devlin SM says senior priest Pa Karaitiana Kingi SM needed help to evacuate his home.

The parish priest says he is being well cared for, but Kingi's home is now ‘red stickered', and his car is full of silt.

Devlin told CathNews that the devastation seriously impacted the low-lying areas of the town; around twenty per cent of the town, including the Tawhiti-a-Mau Marae, which is about a metre deep in water and mud.

St Therese Church at the marae also has significant water damage.

CathNews was unable to speak to anyone from the parish of Hastings.

Cyclone Gabrielle

Head of MetService New Zealand Weather Communications Lisa Murray gave a summary of the storm in a statement on 19 February.

Between 12 and 14 February, parts of New Zealand recorded rainfall amounts of 300-400mm, wind gusts of 130-140km/h and waves as high as 11 metres along some coasts.

"Gabrielle is one of the worst storms to hit Aotearoa New Zealand in living history" said Murray.

The death toll from Cyclone Gabrielle has risen to 11 but police have indicated the toll accounts only for the bodies that have been identified.

More than 6000 people had been reported as non-contactable; however, this contained many double-ups said Eastern District police commander Jeanette Park.

On Monday, the New Zealand Government extended the national state of emergency by 7 days and established a cyclone recovery task force.

The task force's head is Sir Brian Roche and Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson, is the new Cyclone Recovery Minister.

Sources

• Supplied
• Vatican News
• Supplied
• Floodlist
• Stuff