‘We were ready’: Pacific experience helped Wellington family ride out flooding storm

As floodwaters start to drain away and emergency warnings are downgraded across Wellington, residents are beginning to take stock of long nights of heavy rain, rising seas, and damaged homes.

But for Ōwhiro Bay resident Thomas Wynne and his wife, the storm was not something to panic over. It was something to prepare for.

Living on the south coast where waves and wind hit directly, Wynne says his years living in cyclone-prone Rarotonga shaped how they responded when the weather turned.

When the storm peaked, seawater forced its way under their garage door.

“Being right on the beach we don’t have shelter from the wind and rain,” Wynne told PMN News.

“Sea water came in under the garage and we spent the night vacuuming up the water. We also packed bags and put key documents in a bag in case we needed to leave quickly.”

Instead of sleeping through the storm, the couple stayed in their living room, tracking updates and watching conditions outside their home.

The family only moved into the property last year but Wynne says Pacific experience taught them not to wait when warnings start to build.

“The wind however was and remains strong and we are buffeted by these and the rain all day.

Thomas Wynne and wife Juanita Wynne. Photo/Supplied/Thomas Wynne

“It's sobering the rubbish that sits in our moana including the car that was thrown into the ocean just a few doors down from us.”

Ōwhiro Bay was among the worst-affected areas during Monday night’s heavy rain with flash flooding hitting low-lying homes while many people were asleep.

Across Wellington, Lower Hutt and Wairarapa, a state of emergency has now been downgraded as conditions ease and clean-up begins.

MetService says earlier heavy rain warnings for the capital have also been reduced with only showers and localised flooding risks remaining.

Merio Marsters from the Newtown Residents Association says some businesses are still dealing with the aftermath.

Speaking to William Terite on Pacific Mornings Marsters says some shops were left with knee-deep water and spent the night clearing mud, glass and debris.

Watch Anita Baker's full interview below.

She says Pacific families in the suburb were already stepping up to support others.

“What we want people to do in the next few days is just be mindful that it will be a lot more stressful for those affected,” Marsters says.

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says the city’s drainage systems were overwhelmed.

“There was more water that could go down our drains,” she told Terite. “They [the drains] were absolutely at capacity which brought the flooding with a high tide.”

Further east in the Hutt Valley, Mayor Ken Laban says 12 people were relocated into hubs and marae, while seven families stayed at the Walter Nash Centre in Taita.

"It's starting to settle down,” he told Terite. “The ones that were unsafe were relocated and kept safe overnight and we just need now to make decisions on how quickly they can get back home.”

Watch Ken Laban's full interview below.

As the clean-up is underway, emergency services say the immediate danger has passed but for many families, the focus now is recovery, repairs and checking on neighbours.

For Wynne, the experience has reinforced something he brought with him from the Pacific.

When the weather turns, he says, preparation makes all the difference.