Flood-stranded Northland health patients thankful for Warkworth community’s help

Te Whatu Ora patient transport shuttle driver Jeanette Schurgers ended up stranded in Warkworth on Friday while taking patients back to Whangārei from Auckland, sparking kindness from the local community.

When a shuttle bus full of patients returning to Whangārei from Auckland health appointments got stranded in Warkworth between floodwaters and slips, local residents swung into action to help out, giving them hot food and a place to stay for the night.

Te Whatu Ora has praised the kindness of the Warkworth community for coming to the aid of a patient transport shuttle in the town during Friday’s torrential rain and strong winds.

The driver of the shuttle, Jeanette Schurgers, and nine passengers who had attended specialist healthcare appointments were returning to Whangārei in the late afternoon when the roads to the north and south became blocked by floodwaters, landslips and fallen trees. They found themselves stranded in Warkworth, but the local community quickly came to their aid.

Hato Hone St John welcomed them into their station, gave them hot drinks and phoned around their networks to find somewhere for them all to stay.

They were offered stretchers and mattresses from the local scout den, and other people offered blankets, but in the end, they didn’t need them because Warkworth Hospital, an aged care facility, invited them in for the night as they had some spare beds and reclining La-Z-Boy chairs.

Te Whatu Ora Tai Tokerau transport and accommodation manager Calvin de Boer praised the Warkworth community for the assistance and hospitality ”for which we are extremely grateful”.

“And, our driver Jeanette also went above and beyond the call of duty, even staying up overnight to ensure our shuttle’s passengers were okay.”

On Saturday morning, de Boer travelled to Warkworth with another shuttle driver so that Schurgers did not need to drive back up to Whangārei Hospital having had only a couple of hours of sleep.

“Once Dome Valley re-opened after the slips had been cleared, we were able to get through. We arrived around 10am, and the passengers were very quick to share their praise for Jeanette. As her manager, it certainly makes me proud,” he said.

In the 19 years that the patient transport shuttle has run, an event like this has never happened.

“99.99 per cent of the time, the trips go really smoothly.”