They survived a landslide but lost everything else!

My Sister, her husband, 3yo and 1yo children were inside their home asleep at Karekare, near Auckland during cyclone Gabrielle, when a landslide took their home and smashed it to pieces.

At 4am they were woken by an awful noise. In the pitch black, pouring rain, gale force wind, the house somersaulted down the hill with them inside. Corinne managed to protect her 3yo whilst trees, mud and building debris crashed around them. Nick (my brother-in-law) hugged the portacot with the 1yo inside as they were upended and crashed down the hill. Miraculously they all survived with only minor injuries. Nick and Corinne then scrambled out of a hole they found and dragged themselves and their babies through the mud and rubble to find shelter.

Their house is in pieces and too unstable to approach, on top of both of their cars. They have lost everything and have been left traumatised from their ordeal. Thankfully they do have insurance but there will be a lot of things not covered.

In the nights since, my nephew has woken screaming and hiding under the bed, asking if the house is ‘rolling again’. Nick and Corinne are being amazing trying to get through, but there is no denying that this has been a huge ordeal and now they have to face starting over with nothing.