Burglars target family who lost everything in Cyclone Gabrielle

A family whose house was severely damaged and possessions destroyed by deadly Cyclone Gabrielle floodwaters have now been targeted by heartless thieves.

The family of four’s house at Awatoto was swamped by surging water which caused widespread damage through the coastal suburb on the outskirts of Napier in mid-February.

Unlike some other areas of Hawke’s Bay impacted by the cyclone, the floodwaters that swept through Awatoto included toxic chemical waste from nearby factories, as well as raw sewage.

Since then, the family have been living in a caravan parked in a relative’s driveway.

Now six months on from Cyclone Gabrielle – which claimed the lives of 11 people, including seven from Hawke’s Bay - the family should be upbeat about the future as extensive repairs are being carried out to their much-loved home.

Instead, they have been left feeling “violated” after intruders entered the property last weekend, filling a trailer that was locked and parked on the site with various building tools and camping gear locked in the house, then fleeing.

Burglars broke into an empty home in Awatoto being rebuilt after Cyclone Gabrielle and stole tools and other items. Photo / Neil Reid

“On Sunday morning, we came to feed our cat and then we noticed that there was stuff on the driveway and the door was open,” the house owner told the Herald.

“I said ‘Someone’s been here’, and my partner looked over there and said, ‘You know, the trailer is gone’. We went inside and it was just gone.

“We had to leave our camping stuff here, heaps of tools, like drop saws, and even our Christmas tree.”

As well as equipment being used on the extensive rebuild, the stolen gear included items the family of four had no room for in the caravan they are living in.

Large mounds of silt and a silt dumping site are an everyday reminder in Awatoto of the destruction left by Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Neil Reid

The homeowner said she was left “p***ed off” that someone would stoop so low to steal from a family badly impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.

“You feel a little bit violated because someone’s been in your home, even though we’re not living here,” she said.

The resident said she was concerned other families trying to rebuild their lives – and badly damaged homes - would be targeted by thieves in cyclone-impacted areas.

Looting at damaged and evacuated properties occurred in some areas in the days and weeks after Cyclone Gabrielle.

That included one Awatoto house where light fittings, taps and doorknobs were stolen, with the offenders then graffitiing the property’s interior.

Six months on from Cyclone Gabrielle, Awatoto is still badly impacted. Photo / Neil Reid

As the rate of rebuilding grows, the resident called for increased police patrols – and even CCTV cameras – to be installed around Awatoto.

“That would be awesome if, if they could do that or, or if we could get someone doing security around here, especially on the weekend nights when things seem to happen,” she said.

“My message for other residents is if you’re around, look out for your neighbours and if you notice anything, let them know because some of the neighbours are hardly ever here.”

Acting Inspector Caroline Martin, Police’s Cyclone Recovery lead, said New Zealand Police were aware of the changing nature of cyclone-affected Hawke’s Bay communities as the recovery phase grows.

“Security and public safety concerns” came about due to rebuilds beginning and construction sites emerging.

Martin said police were continuing with regular patrols in impacted areas.

Residents of Awatoto walk through flood-ravaged Awatoto in PPE gear after Cyclone Gabrielle's floodwaters had subsided. Photo / Warren Buckland

And anyone who witnessed suspicious behaviour was urged to contact police immediately.

“One of our focus areas [for patrols] for these is in areas where rebuilding is happening and where houses remain empty,” she said.

“We have enhanced our rural response and maintain additional resource across 24 hours to focus solely on rural Hawke’s Bay and impacted areas.

“It’s incredibly important Police are notified of incidents so we know what’s happening in these communities and can make inquiries. Knowing any patterns or trends also helps inform our deployment of resources.”

The Awatoto family earlier “lost everything” when the toxic floodwaters engulfed their property on the morning of February 12.

Like their neighbours, they had to self-evacuate as the water rapidly rose.

At its height, the water was 1.5m deep throughout their Awatoto house.

Crews working in hazmat suits on Waitangi Rd, Awatoto, two months on from Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Paul Taylor

“It was devastating when I first came back when the water had receded enough,” she said.

In the weeks after Cyclone Gabrielle, numerous Awatoto residents and business owners complained they had been “forgotten about” by local council and other officials and that the post-disaster focus had been put on other badly-hit areas of Hawke’s Bay.

The Awatoto resident the Herald spoke to described the initial council response in the area as “slow”.

She said they only received a health warning from officials that the silt and sludge deposited by the floodwaters in the area was toxic two weeks after family and friends had already managed to clear their property.

“It was like, it’s a little bit late now,” she said. “We could have all gotten really sick.”

The area was then closed off to outsiders, with crews working on clearing the road and properties working in hazmat suits to avoid exposure to chemical waste.

Anyone with information about the Awatoto break-in is asked to contact Police on their non-emergency line, 105. The registration of the stolen Titan trailer is 94W11.

Acting Inspector Caroline Martin has also urged people in impacted areas to report any suspicious behaviour to Police immediately on 111.

Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 30 years of newsroom experience.