Dealing With Losing Your Home

By John Freer

Ahead of them was a wall of mud and debris, behind it was their home, and inside the pet dog.

For well-known and regarded Pauanui couple, Mike Bush and Anna van Limpt, they were steering at a scenario they had never anticipated – it was a realisation their lives had just changed.

The house on the southern slopes of Pauanui is one of four in the community which have fallen victim to the latest storm.

The property now contains a red sticker meaning it can no longer be occupied. Underneath, the foundations have been exposed by Wednesday’s unrelenting rainfall.

It all happened while Anna and Mike were manning the local community response effort – the couple had previously been working with emergency services about setting up a response centre at the Pauanui Club.

Mike and Anna had left home about 6.30pm and noticed the neighbours retaining wall had a bow in it. An hour later when returning to the property, they saw that the wall had split, and water was pouring from it.

Two hours later they “bush-based” through the mud and debris to rescue the pet dog before seeking refuge with family members.

“The next morning, once we realised what was happening, we knew we had to get our valuables out – we were very lucky as family and neighbours assisted,” said Mike.

Even yesterday five days after the event, he admitted still feeling in a daze – a state he had carried through the entire event.

Mike talks about the adrenaline when saving their respective family items from a home that they never expected they would ever have to leave.

Then came that realisation, and the rush of the adrenaline was replaced with a draining and stressful feeling. The rush being replaced by emotion.

A couple of things become very apparent when discussing what the couple have had to endure. First it is their gratitude to family, friends and neighbours who came to their aid.

“Your life has just changed forever; I know it’s just material stuff and you are trying to get your head around it.

“Then you just get blown away – the response was incredible. We are so lucky to live in such a community – very fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful people. We are very happy to have found temporary accommodation after many offers from generous locals” said Mike.

There has been a learning from the experience – that being having the grab-bag at the ready.

“We had talked about it, and we had assumed our caravan was our grab-bag until it was taken out by the landslide. Yes, the lesson for us – have the grab-bag ready because you just never expect this.”