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An elderly West Auckland couple face many months of living in a storm-damaged house after the Anniversary Weekend flood wrecked walls and a tree punched a hole through the roof.
Rob Gaston, 76, and his wife Mila are still struggling to come to terms with the state oftheir Titirangi house on Wood Bay Road.
Rob Gaston is almost blind, and after weeks of staying with friends, the couple have returned to their yellow-stickered home because it is the only place he can navigate with his limited vision.
They also did not want to use up their insurance payout for accommodation assistance, hoping to save it for a rainy day.
A tree crashed through one of their second-floor bedrooms on the night of the storm, damaging windows, walls and parts of the roof - also killing both of the family’s cats.
Mould is growing inside and the rats are moving in, but the couple said they have been told it may take until the end of the year before they get a cost estimate for repairs.
Two months after the storm, parts of a tree remains stuck through the window of a bedroom, and Gaston said Auckland Council won’t let them remove the tree due to fears of destabilizing the slip bordering their house.
Rob and Mila Gaston's house was badly damaged after the Auckland Anniversary floods, and now they're dealing with leaks, mould and rat issues in their home. Photo / RNZ, Lucy Xia
Gaston says an initial assessment was last month but they believe a cost assessment won’t be done until November.
Consequently, the couple are reduced to living in one bedroom downstairs in the four-bedroom house, and continue to use the kitchen and bathroom upstairs - where the smell of mould lingers.
Gaston said even after they obtain the the cost assessment, it will may take until July next year before repairs can be completed given the shortage and high demand for contractors.
He said he is concerned about the winter months ahead.
“Can you imagine going through winter with it like this, and all the water getting into the spare bedroom all winter, and living with rats all winter?”
The tree has crashed into the Gastons' home. Photo / RNZ, Lucy Xia
Gaston said he is trying to negotiate with the council and their insurer, but may be forced to take matters into his own hands.
“I will find some way to get my excavator man in, and lift this tree out and I’ll put a tarpaulin down here so I can keep the rain out of the house, because I have to do that.
“And keep the rats out of the house, and stop the mould growing on the ceiling, and stop the deterioration.
“I can’t just live like this for that length of time and do nothing, it’s ridiculous.”
An EQC spokesperson said they have not been in direct contact with the Gastons, and that private insurers are managing all aspects of EQ cover claims on their behalf.
Auckland Council’s manager of proactive compliance Adrian Wilson said Gaston has taken the appropriate steps by engaging with EQC to investigate the damage.
The council did not respond to questions relating to permission for Gaston to start removing the tree affecting his house.
Wilson said the council’s Rapid Building Assessment Team will reach out to Gaston to review previous correspondence and scope of works in order to give them advice.
