Surf lifeguards in inflatable rescue boats smashed open a window at a flooded West Auckland shed to free a man who had been trapped since late last night.
Photo: Supplied / John-Michael Swannix
The Surf Life Saving Muriwai squad volunteers are among emergency responders in flood-stricken parts of the area.
Northern Region search and rescue supervisor John-Michael Swannix says five volunteers on two rescue boats set off to Kumeū at 5am.
"They arrived at an address on Tapu Road first and rescued two men, one aged 45s to 50 and one in his 60s.
"One of those men had been inside the shed since at least 10pm [last night] and they had to break the window to actually rescue him."
Swannix said the volunteers carried out welfare checks on a number of residents, including a mother and two children trapped upstairs at a Kumeū property who were "waiting it out".
He praised the volunteers who burst their bubble to respond to the flooding.
"I really commend these volunteers for choosing to come and help their community, particularly under level 4," Swannix said.
"It's a big risk for them to break their bubbles and expose themselves and then potentially the families when the Delta variant is out and about.
"They're doing what they do best, helping the community. And they're taking extra steps and precautions around PPE, mask use and that sort of thing to make sure that they are staying safe and doing proper risk assessments as well."