Home wrecked by flooding ... again

Last time we lost carpets and a lot of the kids' stuff and memories. It was chaotic. You live in chaos for months trying to get back to a normal life. Esther Twyman

Esther Twyman's house has been flooded twice in the past two months and there may be nothing that can prevent it happening again.

The Petrie St resident is devastated - and homeless - after flash flooding in Rotorua this week which saw her entire home knee-deep in rainwater. She's desperate for the Rotorua District Council to do something to stop it happening it again but the council says it's done all it can and the only solution may be to buy the property from her.

On February 5, a torrential downpour flooded three rooms in the home Ms Twyman bought two years ago and caused about $3000 damage. Insurance paid for the rooms to be recarpeted but the experience was traumatic enough to make her daughters Grace, 13, and Claire, 11, panic every time it rained since.

"When it rained the girls would come in saying 'it's going to flood, it's going to flood.', but I would say to them no we're fine."

The damage this time is worse, and the cost is still being calculated.

About 4.30pm on Tuesday Ms Twyman noticed flood water lapping around her door. Five minutes later, despite her best efforts, water gushed through her entire house, destroying virtually everything.

Insurance assessors have told Ms Twyman she can not move back into her house for four months because raw sewage overflowed from the toilet. "I started packing towels around the ranchsliders but by the time I did that the water was pouring through the back door. It just picked up my freezer and washed it across the room.

"It's just devastating. I know it's just stuff and some of it can be replaced but for five and a half years I have worked really hard to get where we are and it's all gone."

Ms Twyman went to the Rotorua District Council for help after the first flood, in February. The council had listened to her concerns.



She had not expected the problem to be fixed instantly but believed the council had been slow to react.

Council works manager Peter Dine said the council had been investigating the cause of the first flooding. The design of the neighbouring Westbrook netball courts meant water flowed towards Ms Twyman's property.

"There is a problem with that particular property. It's on a low-lying part of the road."

The culvert in the area was already at full capacity and there was nothing the council could do to improve the drainage.

Mr Dine said he would be recommending that the council buy her property as there was no way to fix the problem.

Mr Dine said he would be making it his priority to get the matter resolved as quickly as possible.

Ms Twyman said she would be happy if the council bought her property as long as the price was fair. Although her insurance was covering the cost of the family finding new accommodation, it was still very stressful, she said.

"Last time we lost carpets and a lot of the kids' stuff and memories. It was chaotic. You live in chaos for months trying to get back to a normal life."