Don Smith evacuated so quickly he didn't have time to grab his toothbrush.
It was 8.30am yesterday when the fire brigade told Mr Smith and the two dozen other remaining residents of his retirement village that a stop bank was threatening to burst and they needed to get out.
"There hadn't been any water yet," he said.
"But they were worried."
Mr Smith aged 85, grabbed a bag of clothes and was out the door in five minutes, driving to Awakeri with his mate.