Episode Transcript
Once we got settled with Fiona, Paul and their fur-babies and had semi-reliable mobile internet connectivity, our focus shifted to putting together and submitting insurance claims and figuring out exactly where we would live going forward, as returning to our former residence in Breckenridge Road was not something we were keen to contemplate.
Our car insurance claims were very straightforward and settled with relative ease. Once the insurance company saw the photos of the Breckenridge Road residence fully submerged in water, and learned that our vehicles had been parked on site the night before Cyclone Gabrielle hit, funds were made available within a week of each claim being made.
Contents insurance was more involved, with the insurance company requesting an itemised list of the items lost and proof of ownership, before a claim could be assessed. Trying to gather photos or receipts to verify ownership was challenging - any hard copy material had of course been washed away by the flood. It’s at moments like these that we were grateful to have photos taken on mobile devices automatically backed up in the cloud, along with e-receipts for items purchased in the last 5 years or so available in our email box. Downloading this evidence, collating everything into a file then emailing it through to the insurance company was super challenging on a single mobile phone – fortunately, in an effort to begin to replace what had been lost in the cyclone, we’d recently taken delivery of a new Apple iPad Pro device; this certainly made the insurance claim process much, much easier to complete online. After waiting, then phoning several times for follow up, our claims were approved, with payment actioned almost immediately.
After staying with Fiona and Paul for about 3 weeks, we managed to secure a powerful electricity generator which was then wired to the house mains by a qualified electrician. This, of course, meant that we had power on demand whenever the generator was turned on. We elected to turn it off at night only, to minimise nocturnal disturbance - but otherwise it was on during waking hours. We felt privileged to have this generator after not having electricity for weeks. At first it felt strange watching tv, having lights turned on at night and being able to keep perishable items chilled or frozen. We no longer had to charge our mobile phones in our vehicles – instead, we could simply plug them into the wall sockets. Oh how wonderful it was to have this modern convenience AKA running electricity.
One challenge we had to deal with patiently during this time related to the dwelling insurance claim – this was not surprising really, since it was by far the largest amount in dollar terms of all of our claims. We opted to visit our insurance company about a week after the cyclone hit to get this claim started. We left their offices that day feeling heard – but sadly, progress was slow to say the least. Two more in-person visits followed over several weeks, with each taking an emotional toll. After waiting a total of 7 weeks from our initial visit, communication was received to advise that payment would be made, subject to us completing the provided paperwork. This was actioned quickly, with funds being received several weeks later; this money was soon put towards purchasing a large family residence in Taradale. Figuring out this next step on our path to rebuilding our lives brought immense joy and satisfaction – not to mention, relief.
A similar positive feeling overcame us weeks earlier, when after moving into Fiona and Paul’s place 8 days before, we travelled to Taradale, a suburb in Napier, to a friend’s place to have our first, running water shower. We also took the opportunity to wash and dry our dirty clothes. It felt awesome to be squeaky clean again and to have freshly-laundered clothes to wear. Over the next few weeks, we had weekly trips to the same place for bathing and laundry purposes. Now, we no longer take bathing or automatic washing/dryer facilities for granted.
Now long after power had been restored to Taradale, we moved from Fiona and Paul’s place to an empty rental property which we owned at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. New beds were quickly delivered, and we borrowed some other furniture from close friends. It was wonderful to have our own space again. We intend to remain there, while the newly acquired larger property next door is renovated and turned into our new residence.
As we began to feel and look refreshed, and settle into our new but temporary residence, we seized the opportunity to undertake some retail therapy to begin to furnish this space and our longer term residence. Among the items purchased were household lots of linen, towels, plates and cutlery. Shopping can be a fun activity for some people, however the copious array of household items we needed to purchase made this experience quite overwhelming at times. We seemed to spend days – and long days too - visiting various retail establishments in Napier or Hastings and purchasing what was needed to turn a house into a home. We also visited some auction houses and put in absentia bids on items we were keen to acquire. Online shopping – with free delivery – was another way we made our home more homely. Utilising these, and other strategies, enabled us to slowly but surely secure some home comforts.
On reflection, this rebuilding phase of our lives post-Cyclone Gabrielle was both exhausting and uplifting. Tiring due to the back-to-back days focused on shopping, filling the car with our purchases, bringing them home and putting them away. Uplifting as it was wonderful to see an empty house turn into a comforting, homely space to chill, re-group and rest in. Hopefully this leads to a more stable next phase, focussed on creating new, longer-term routines. Here’s hoping.
