In the wee hours of the morning when Cyclone Gabrielle hit the coast north of Napier, a Whirinaki woman was in waist deep water on the phone to 111.
She was told - 'stay where you are - the army is coming'.
It didn't.
She and other locals say there lucky to get out in the nick of time and find shelter with neighbours in safer areas as floodwaters ripped through their homes.
Two weeks on, they're still fending for themselves.
They say they're yet to see officials step foot on the muddy, rubbish lined roads - or step up with any sort of guidance or support.
People like plumber Todd Smith - who has become a community leader of sorts in the last fortnight - are using common sense and some tradie know-how to clean up as best they can.
He says the community wants to see some action from civil defence and other officials.
On Sunday, one little yellow digger showed up.
It was back again yesterday - but a single machine moving through streets lined with the contents of gutted houses is going to be slow going.
Smith says a silver lining is the community coming together - because without each other, they'd be lost.
He says the community also organised their own water tanks although the army finally showed up on Sunday with five more.
