Auckland floods: Uncertainty as residents sheltering in school hall to be moved

By Rowan Quinn of RNZ

People staying at West Auckland’s flood evacuation centre have to be moved on Friday to make way for the school term.

St Leonards Road School in Kelston has been home to dozens of people since Friday night - as well as three dogs, two birds, and a cat.

For many, returning to their trashed homes is not an option and they were wondering - where to next?

A Māngere woman who had been sleeping in the school hall since Saturday said there was a lot of snoring but otherwise it was comfortable.

Volunteers and support services set up a base of operations at the Mangere Memorial Hall before relocating to the Mangere Rec Centre. Photo / Dean Purcell

When her son was sick on Tuesday night they were moved to their own classroom and she was grateful.

Her family had been home, organised a skip, and cleared out the rubbish but realised they would not be able to stay there.

Those on the ground were very kind but the bureaucracy was very slow when it came to finding somewhere more permanent, she said.

They were sent to one hotel but arrived to find it couldn’t fit them all - so had to come back.

“Who has time to wait, the kids have got to go to school soon and we need to get back to ... us,” she said.

“All we want is somewhere stable, even if it’s a week or two.”

One consolation was that her kids were loving it, enjoying playing and making friends with other children there.

Another woman, who also did not want to be named, arrived early Saturday after her house was swamped when Henderson Creek overflowed.

A swollen creek in Underwood Park, Owairaka. Photo / Donna Henderson, File

At first, they didn’t know where to go and had to sleep in her husband’s work van before arriving early in the morning.

Four days on, people at the school had been wonderful, including Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni who was “da bomb” for being there every day to help, she said.

Her frustrations lay with her landlord who had been completely unresponsive, leaving them unsure where they would stay long-term.

The Red Cross was supporting people at the school with practicalities as well as looking out for their wellbeing.

Deputy team leader Logan Sheehan said morale was pretty high but one of the big challenges was finding the next accommodation.

“There are still a lot of people who can’t return to their homes - it’s been contaminated by sewage and flood water or impacted by landslips, so there are just a lot of people displaced by this disaster at the moment,” he said.

Medical and social support group The Fono had set up a clinic and was also helping people access other assistance.

It’s Whānau Ora lead Europa Kupu said so many people had to drop everything and were now waiting for certainty - but one big consolation was the love shown to them by the Kelston community.

Ofeira Taulealeausumai, left, Janet Masoe-Hundal and Europa Kupu. Photo / Rowan Quinn, RNZ

Auckland Council said it was planning to open another centre to take those who did not have accommodation by tomorrow, with a venue yet to be finalised.