Māngere flood victim on how her community helped her bounce back

It's been a year since Sita Lee's Māngere home was ravaged during the Auckland Anniversary floods.

And since surviving that hellish night with just the clothes on their backs, Lee and her family have slowly bounced back, while hotel-hopping, staying with family before finally settling into a townhouse with a kitchen.

But through it all, Lee has been heartened by how her South Auckland community has continued to rally around - with one particular act of generosity standing out.

Given the loss of clothes, Lee went to the twosevenfive barbershop in Māngere to purchase one of their famous hoodies.

But she was about to get a lot more than she expected as the manager of the shop, Fitz Manase happened to be looking for her.

He told her he was at their house the day after the floods, having seen their damaged red car and wanted to gift them a car which was donated by a Devonport resident.

"I was like 'no it's okay' my friend's lent me his vehicle," she responded.

But Fitz convinced Lee to take the car saying "you're the person I want to give it to".

"I was so appreciative and overwhelmed," Lee says.

"People asked 'did you cry?' I said nah. The week the floods happened I cried that week.

"I didn't have any more tears, even tears of joy left."

Lee also received support from councillors Alf Filipaina and Tauanu'u Nick Bakulich the day after the floods, along with a range of donations from work mates and the wider community.

"My daughter's work came through with food parcels and clothes, not just for myself but for my daughter, mum, niece and my brother-in-law," Lee says.

"My job [also] helped out and asked if there was anything they could do for me."

The future of Lee's family home

As PMN reported last week, Lee situations has been exacerbated due to a drawn-out process with Auckland Council, waiting to have their flood-damaged home categorised by the local authority.

Lee says give the delays it has felt like "South Auckland is always forgotten".

But following Pacific Media Network’s earlier inquiries, a council spokesperson says Lee’s family can move ahead with repairs using their insurance payout, while they await a categorisation decision.

Lee says she is still uncertain due to the confusion around confirming approval but they will press on.

"My brother-in-law said this is the time to make changes while we're not in the house."

Lee says the work will renew their space, as the renovations may wash away how the house looked in family memories, but will also help given the trauma from the flood night.

"It's just those memories. It'll look so different to how we grew up.

"We're adding a few things but not making too drastic changes for Mum. Everything has to go back to what she wants.

"End of the day it'll be really lovely for her."

Although Lee appreciates the community support and how South Auckland is often compelled into the independency of taking care of themselves, she asks the wider communities one thing:

"Please don't forget us."