Couple living above a slow flood - 'Every drop of rain is scary'

All Manawahe Road residents Christine McDonald and Heikki (Jack) Lipponen want for Christmas is for the rain to stop.

The next best alternative would be a caravan parked in their driveway that they could escape to when the water flooding their section finally rises above their floorboards.

For the past fortnight, the couple have endured what they describe as "slow water torture", as gradually rising water flows under their villa-style home, which now sits in the middle of a lake that used to be their lawn.

Sandbags are piled around the house, while its residents look to the skies and cringe at every sign of rain.

"Every drop of rain is just so scary," McDonald said.

Despite being located well above sea level, their section is in a depression between hills, and run-off from neighbouring farms accumulates in ponds near their property.

Having lived on the property near the former Manawahe School for 12 years, McDonald says they have never had the water come onto their property before, but the Whakatāne district has experienced its highest rainfall levels this year. Since the rain events in July, the areas either side of their property began to fill and have gradually crept higher, until on 7 December it started to flood their property.

Whakatāne District Council has visited the site and helped with pumping water away but has since told them there is nothing more it can do as there is nowhere for the water to be pumped to.

"We just have to wait. The water has nowhere to run off. Actually, we get the runoff from the surrounding properties," McDonald said. "When it stops raining, the water level just keeps rising for several days. We have pumped out as much as we can into the neighbouring farm, but the water on their side is now just as high."

She said there was one neighbouring residential property that was in the same situation.

McDonald has also contacted Bay of Plenty Regional Council, which has told her that in the new year it will investigate whether there are any measures that can be taken to ensure it does not happen again.

"We have sandbagged at the front of the house but there is seepage and water overflows from our water tank at the back of the house. The water is slowly creeping up under the house towards the floor."

The floor is a new one, installed two months ago. The septic tank is unusable. The couple have set up a shower with the garden hose on higher ground at the back of the house, but they have had to go to friends and family for proper showers. Precious belongings are stacked on top of shelves and beds along with electrical cords and appliances, ready for the day the water comes up through the floorboards.

McDonald said after two weeks of this, they were now at the point where they almost wished the house would just flood so they could receive some help from their insurance company.

"If this was a sudden event and we had to just leave, that would be better than this slow water torture where every day the water comes up a little bit more and we wonder, 'is it now that we have to go?' It's very stressful."

Manawahe Eco Trust has offered them the use of the old school to evacuate to, although due to a leaking pipe, there is no running water there.

What they would really like is a caravan or campervan they could park in their driveway for when water rises further.

They are hoping someone might lend them one because although they are well insured, the water has not yet reached the floorboards and their insurance company will not provide any relocation finances until the house is damaged and they lodge a claim.

They would have to pay for this themselves without knowing if they would receive anything back from their insurers.

In the meantime, they watch the sky.

"The forecast is for thunderstorms this afternoon and more rain over the coming days," McDonald said.

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