Evacuation orders ignored: Why many Hawke’s Bay coastal residents decided not to leave

Jo Speedy, one of the residents who chose to stay, at her Te Awanga home with her dog Ralph, where she kept a close eye on sea conditions. Photo / Rafaella Melo

Many residents of the 550 coastal homes in Hawke’s Bay placed under mandatory evacuation orders before Cyclone Vaianu say they decided to stay and ride out the swells.

Authorities warned of dangerous swells and potential coastal flooding on Sunday.

People in beachfront areas, including Te Awanga, Haumoana, Waimārama and Ocean Beach, were asked to leave by 5pm on Saturday under a state of emergency declared in coastal areas from Central Hawke’s Bay to north of Napier.

Hawke’s Bay Today spoke to close to 15 beachfront residents in Te Awanga and Haumoana after the green light was given to return on Monday morning but did not find anyone who had evacuated.

Most said they had chosen to stay, while preparing to leave if conditions worsened.

In Te Awanga, Jo Speedy said she began packing and was ready to evacuate but decided to remain after closely watching conditions.

“The sea was quite calm, so I made the choice to stay here,” she said.

Speedy, who was with her dog Ralph, said she stayed alert throughout the night.

“I was very aware … no one can beat the sea."

She said she had grab bags and supplies in her car ready to go but put them back on Monday morning.

“We had a lovely big sea with huge waves out there, but nothing touched us,” she said.

“No electricity went off, and we didn’t have much rain. It was almost a false alarm, but it’s good to be prepared.”

She said most of her neighbours also decided to stay, with the community rallying around each other, communicating throughout the storm.

Richard Williams, who has lived in Te Awanga for nearly three decades, said his household had multiple back-up plans in place, but staying was their first option.

“We had a plan A, B and C,” he said.

“We prepared to move. The caravan was loaded the car was hooked up.”

Despite the communications around evacuation, Williams said he was advised by police that it was not mandatory.

“We’ve been here since 1997, so it’s not our first canoe ride.

“Here in Te Awanga, we all stayed because we’ve been through it before.”

Jane Williams with dog Louie and Richard Williams with Basil outside the caravan at their Te Awanga property, prepared as a back-up if conditions worsened. Photo / Rafaella Melo

His wife, Jane Williams, was alone with their dogs, Louie and Basil, when Gabrielle hit, and used the couple’s caravan to handle the power cut.

“We have done enough work ourselves to protect our property,” she said.

“We are pretty resilient.”

In Haumoana, most residents also decided to stay.

Ray Bland said he did not evacuate as he felt confident, because his property was higher than others.

“I have an idea of what the sea is going to do,” he said.

“I’ve been here for 25 years, and we’ve seen 7m swells, and I’ve only seen it come over the cycleway twice.”

For Adrian Cowie, the evacuation orders were “an overreaction”, and the only preparation he made was parking his car facing the road, so he could leave quickly if needed.

“I’ve lived here for 10 years and surfed out here for 40 years. I know what the sea does,” he said.

“I look after my 90-year-old mother fulltime. If I thought there was danger, I’d be getting her out of here.”

Adrian Cowie at his Haumoana home, with his vehicle positioned for a quick departure if needed. Photo / Rafaella Melo

One Haumoana resident told Hawke’s Bay Today that their neighbour had evacuated but had not yet returned.

Hastings District Council’s emergency management controller Craig Cameron said the evacuation orders were all mandatory and focused on residents’ safety.

“The mandatory order was focused on those areas most at risk,” Cameron said.

“It is disappointing that people chose not to comply.

“If the weather had proceeded as forecasted, they risked putting the lives of rescuers in danger.”

It was unclear how many had not complied as the council and police did not keep a record of those who failed to evacuate or returned after being advised to evacuate, he said.