A Tolaga Bay community leader says they need basic things like cleaning equipment, skips and a dump that's open so people can start clearing sludge and destroyed items from their homes.
Checkpoint's Lisa Owen spoke with Rina Kerekere from Te Whare Hauora o Te Aitanga a Hauiti and asked her what her community needs.
"People are actually wanting, not only the tangible resources like kai, but actually moments of piki wairua - where their spirits can be raised, because at the moment we are feeling like we have been forgotten, and we know there's so many ... that to be quite honest, so many communities that need more help," Kerekere said.
"And kei te pai te rā, but the comms - the lack of comms to no comms has been a real big challenge for our Civil Defence, Uawa's Civil Defence, and to relay that back to our communities and so many frustrated whānau - it's challenging to keep everybody in high spirits.
"So, a range of things we need - for whānau immediately [we need] some kai supplies - which I know they're on the way shortly, thank you to the wider networks."
Tolaga Bay communities have been isolated by Cyclone Gabrielle, and say the clean-up is being challenged by the lack of basic resources like cleaning supplies Photo: Phillip Capper, Creative Commons
Cleaning crews had come together and were at work trying their best to clean out what they could from houses and community buildings, Kerekere said, but so far they had very limited access to cleaning supplies.
"One of the big struggles here is our waste management - the dump is closed, [our tip] still needs to be cleaned ... and there's so many whānau who need to clean their homes, our marae, but there's nowhere to put all that rubbish.
"So that's a huge health risk - as well as the wairua, the wairua is going up and down. We can clean as much as you can, you've got no equipment to clean, and when you do clean where are you going to put all the rubbish?
"You've got wrecked furniture, carpets, a whole lot of rubbish, you don't really want to just put it outside."
- Te Whare Hauora are taking donations for the community recovery effort, and have posted bank account details on their Facebook page, in an entry on Monday 20 February.
Flooding at Tolaga Bay on 13 February, before the real brunt of Cyclone Gabrielle hit. Photo: Supplied/ Uawa Civil Defence
Kerekere was hopeful that more could be done to provide better resources to help the community with the clean-up.
"We've requested for GDC, the Gisborne District Council, to open our tip for longer hours for our whānau, maybe even for them to deliver skips to areas like our marae. Puketawai Marae has done a big clean up this morning thanks to local people stopping in to help.
"But they actually need things like skips to take rubbish away, because it's a health risk."
There were still many people who were displaced and did not have a safe home to go back to, who needed to find a place to live.
"We had over 89 to start with... on our list of high priorities, that are displaced and also isolated, ... and that's probably going to rise. We're still collecting intel ... just to look at what kind of damage is in that home," Kerekere said.
"There is quite a few, they were able to evacuate earlier which is great, but they're still displaced to other areas which are isolated. Some have moved into local marae and some into Tūranga - Gisborne, to their whānau homes, but at the end of the day they're still displaced.
"They want to return to clean homes, to clean their homes, and just to be home and on their papa kāinga."
Army troops unloading supplies at Uawa, Tolaga Bay, after Cyclone Gabrielle Photo: Supplied/ Uawa Civil Defence
Children in the small isolated east coast community north of Gisborne were able to go back to school today, which was wonderful, Kerekere said.
"There's a lot of kids that want to go back to normal... it was quite essential for... their well-being, their oranga, and just being somewhere different from stuck at home. And also for parents - having their break so they can reset themselves, their thinking. It's really important to get back to something different other than the last couple of days."
Almost everyone who had been uncontactable from the community had now been reached and confirmed safe, through work done by the Uawa Civil Defence, police and reports from friends and family.
"They've been amazing. They have connected with most people on their list, and we've done follow-ups through Tai Rāwhiti Civil Defence as well."
Flooding at Te Rima straight, Tolaga Bay, on 13 February Photo: Supplied/ Uawa Civil Defence
Another worry was talk that forestry work in the area had been shut down - a problem for families who rely on that income, Kerekere said.
"People are definitely worried... that's one of the great things about the welfare centre here, with some of the donations coming through, with some of the kai we have received, is we've made a priority list in partnership with the Uawa Civil Defence - because we don't have much supplies - so who needs that most.
"We look at all of those kaimahi, all of those workers that have lost their jobs or may not have been paid their income. We're able to supply kai, some relief and actually try and work through how we can get them further support through social services here.
"At Te Whare Hauora o Te Aitanga a Hauiti, we have hot desks - today we have IRD ... tomorrow we have Work and Income New Zealand to come and work through all those different payment plan options they may be entitled to, we also have counselling coming through ... to collaborate with so many organisations to help with the well-being of our communities."
