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Lost Everything in Napier Floods

  • One Day To Go!

      16 March 2023
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    Much grattitude to everyone who has so generously donated to help my family to recover from the terrible natural disaster on Tuesday 14th February 2023.

    We have one day to go, so if you would like to share our page with a friend, whanau or colleague, today is your day.

    My sister is going to save her share until she has accomodation to move into. One month later and the property is still a boggy, smelly, muddy mess! My mother use to host Weddings on this land. Heartbreaking stuff 💔

    Thanks again 🙏

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  • Grateful for donations

      11 March 2023
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    I am now in Napier visiting my family

    and sister for the first time since the disaster on 14th February (almost one month ago).Thankful to be here with them.

    Flying into Napier last night there is still a lot of flooding visable from the air.

    I bought a huge duffle bag of clothes for my sister from neighbours and colleagues.

    It was heartwarming to see her smile and enjoy trying on the donated items. 😊

    We will visit their property later today.

    We have 6 days to go, please feel free to share our page 🙏

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  • Thank you to those who have been there for us.

      3 March 2023
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    Heartbreaking stuff 💔 A post below from my sister Sharleen Gamble today..... We still have 14 days left to donate to my families give a little page. Please share our link on your social media so we can spread the word Thank you to those who have donated so far.

    https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/lost-everything-in-napier-floods

    "First video from this morning, all the work my parents and helpers have accomplished during the week while I was at work. Second video is late this afternoon after a full on days work. It's hard to dump your life on the side of the road. The hardest part was loosing my children's baby books, photos, and special little bits I've kept since their birth to present day. Because everything was under water for so long, it was impossible to save anything. We were wading through mucky, stinking, bog all day...the reality of everyone who has been working on the property all week. It's extremely hard to make this post but we've had so much support I wanted to share our current reality, now that the water has finally receded. It has been too painful up to this point. Our home was a tumultuous rubbish dumb after the water drained away with a horrendous smell. Thank you to those who have been there for us. Unfortunately, this isn't even the end... More tomorrow... Then somehow the silty, stinking, bog that is left must be addressed."

    Amongst it all somewhere is also some childhood, and travel memories I had stored with my family too.

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  • The devastation is immense

      26 February 2023
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    My sister got these images before she realised the water wasn't going to stop rising and got her kids and cats up onto the roof. The red marks she added are an indication of where the water rose to. Her old white car was locked but the power of the water actually forced the sliding doors partly open. Mum's old ute the windows were smashed out as happened with her new car she purchased just before Christmas. She didn't take her phone whe she returned to the property but the devastation is immense. Everthing will be condemned, contaminated, gutted. The water is still very high in places. Walking along the road outside the property it was around knee level and as she walked in it varied as far up as her chest, my sister is 175cm tall, there will be spots even higher. She was only able to get in last week because the water had gone down approximately one metre.

    My sister said....

    "My gratitude to everyone who has sent messages of support and offers of assistance. We are all still in shock, really just getting through the best we can hourly and daily. It's all so difficult to comprehend. We are now in accommodation with family friends where we can stay long term and can have our fur babies with us. My boys have turned a corner emotionally now that we have them safe with us."

    "I can't even begin to say how sorry I am to those who are worse off than us. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones. I have cried for you and you are in our families though."

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  • Incredibly Grateful

      18 February 2023

    Thank you for your very generous and kind donations. They are very much appreciated🙏

    My sister said.... "People are being so amazing, I have no words for our appreciation. We're just getting through each hour, each day, surviving the best we can, but also incredibly grateful"

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  • Cats have been saved

      18 February 2023
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    Thank you to those who have already donated.

    We are humbled by your generosity 🙏💖

    Yesterday my sister saved her cat Scratch. Here's the story..... We are now aiming for $20,000 to recover some uninsured items. Please share and encourage donors. Thank you 🌷

    Scratch was up the tree. It was really hard to get to her because the water was so high where she was and I had to climb a fence amongst flood debry, then climb through branches and try and get her. A search and rescue team had been through right before us and found Lucky on Wren's top bunk bed. He would have had to swim against the current to get in that room and god knows how he got up onto the bunk because normally he can't get up there without help due to his dodgy back legs. Both cats did incredible things to save themselves.

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